Microsoft promises not to sue Linux people

According to ZD Net, Microsoft confirmed that it would not litigate "for now" which can mean anytime from the time the press release was written to er now really.

A spokesVole said that if it wanted to sue Linux people it could have done that three years ago. However now Vole wants to "build an intellectual property bridge", he said.

Now its big job was to continue to build bridges, the SpokesVole said. Oh and write software. Bridges and software that is what Microsoft is building right now. So that is all right then. Microsoft counsel Brad Smith alleged that the Linux kernel told Fortune magazine article, were that free and open-source software violated more than 230 of its patents.

Microsoft has so far refused to specify which patents are allegedly being infringed by open-source vendors, leading some experts to assert that its threats are as empty as my bank account.

John McCreesh, OpenOffice.org marketing project lead, said that while Microsoft may not have plans to sue, it could be using the threat of litigation instead. The big idea is that corporate customers to move to those open-source product vendors with whom Microsoft had signed licensing agreements, such as Novell, just in case the Vole changes its mind.

More here. µ