[Discuss] (OT) Barnes & Noble wants DOJ probe into Microsoft patent tactics

[gaf at blu.org (Jerry Feldman)]

HTC is suing Microsoft. Most likely the value of paying for a license is
cheaper than a messy lawsuit. Remember back when TSCOG was extorting
Linux users, many paid TSCOG until other companies, such as Red Hat, HP,
IBM indemnified their customers.

I think that B&N has an interesting problem. First, they are
historically a seller of books. When Amazon came onto the scene, B&N
added an online presence. I think the company is still mentally a retail
book seller, and while they are building the Nook product line and
providing ebooks, they are still organized as a retail book seller, and
probably have not set up the proper support infrastructure so your
criticism of B&N is certainly correct. Fortunately I have not had to
contact their customer service.

On 11/10/2011 08:43 AM, Chris O'Connell wrote:
> I've been doing a little research about this issue.  Interestingly,
> HTC and Samsung have both developed agreements with Microsoft ranging
> somewhere between $5 and $10 per Android device.  I have to assume
> lawyers for HTC and Samsung both examined Microsoft's patent claims
> and decided that they were valid enough that an agreement was in
> order.  Most likely Microsoft's patents are generalized an vague, but
> could be upheld in court making an agreement more cost effective than
> a law suit.
>
> If any company other than B&N were to stand up against Microsoft I
> would probably be cheering.  However, I think that in this case two
> factors come into play here:
> 1.  B&N wasn't competent enough to negotiate an agreement with
> Microsoft, thus they are crying foul.
> 2.  B&N values money more than customers.  If they spent half the
> energy and effort they've spent speaking out against MS and Amazon
> they *might* have a halfway workable product with customer service
> that actually serves their customers.
>
> This is not to say that I think what Microsoft is doing is fair, but I
> don't know all of the details.  I assume that if MS patent claims were
> completely invalid HTC and Samsung, along with the other android
> device makers, would have jointly gone after MS in court.
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 10, 2011 at 7:42 AM, Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org
> <mailto:gaf at blu.org>> wrote:
>
>     I would also agree with that, I saw your FB post.
>
>     On 11/09/2011 07:39 AM, Chris O'Connell wrote:
>     > I would like someone to investigate the way Barnes and Noble treats
>     > their customers.  Instead of insulting Amazon's new competing
>     product
>     >
>     (http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/tech/gaming-gadgets/nook-kindle-war/index.html?eref=rss_tech&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_tech+%28RSS%3A+Technology%29
>     <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/tech/gaming-gadgets/nook-kindle-war/index.html?eref=rss_tech&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_tech+%28RSS%3A+Technology%29>
>     >
>     <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/tech/gaming-gadgets/nook-kindle-war/index.html?eref=rss_tech&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_tech+%28RSS%3A+Technology%29
>     <http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/07/tech/gaming-gadgets/nook-kindle-war/index.html?eref=rss_tech&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_tech+%28RSS%3A+Technology%29>>)
>     > and crying about unfair licensing practices they should be
>     focusing on
>     > improving their broken customer service and creating a quality
>     product
>     > that's less bug-ridden than the ones they usually release.
>     >
>     > On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 7:28 AM, Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org
>     <mailto:gaf at blu.org>
>     > <mailto:gaf at blu.org <mailto:gaf at blu.org>>> wrote:
>     >
>     >     On 11/08/2011 07:39 PM, edwardp at linuxmail.org
>     <mailto:edwardp at linuxmail.org>
>     >     <mailto:edwardp at linuxmail.org
>     <mailto:edwardp at linuxmail.org>> wrote:
>     >     > Microsoft is going after device makers who use Android.
>     >     >
>     >     >
>     >    
>     http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57320800-75/barnes-noble-wants-doj-probe-into-microsoft-patent-tactics/?tag=mncol;topStories
>     >     >
>     >     It is good that B&N is standing up to them.
>     >
>     >
>
>
>     --
>     Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org <mailto:gaf at blu.org>>
>     Boston Linux and Unix
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>
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-- 
Jerry Feldman <gaf at blu.org>
Boston Linux and Unix
PGP key id:3BC1EB90 
PGP Key fingerprint: 49E2 C52A FC5A A31F 8D66  C0AF 7CEA 30FC 3BC1 EB90