Has Microsoft learned from the patent trolls?

By Microsoft Subnet on Tue, 03/17/09 - 4:52pm.

It's no secret that Microsoft has been collecting patents at a rapid clip, having notched its 10,000th patent in February.

What does Microsoft intend to do with all of those patents? At some point, it's going to be looking for a little return on its investment. As Network World's John Fontana notes, the company recently sued TomTom for patent infringement and will likely crank up the heat on other companies.

This week, Fontana took an interesting look at just the 10 most recent patent applications, which provide an interesting glimpse into the direction Microsoft's patent efforts are heading in.

- Jeff Caruso

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Julie Bort is the editor of Microsoft Subnet and Network World's Online Community Editor. She also writes the Open Source Subnet blog and is the editor responsible for the Cisco Subnet and Open Source Subnet web sites. If you have an idea for a blog, or a news tip on Microsoft, Cisco or Open Source technologies, contact her at jbort@nww.com, 970-482-6454 or follow Julie on Twitter @Julie188.

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