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Microsoft isn't a member (yet?)Microsoft isn't a member (yet?)Posted Apr 27, 2011 16:00 UTC (Wed) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330)In reply to: Microsoft isn't a member (yet?) by Simetrical Parent article: The WebM Community Cross-License Initiative launches That's a rather one-sided statement from Microsoft. It's saying that it will promise never to assert any of its (nonexistent) patents against WebM/VP8, but only if Google pledges to indemnify everyone, meaning that if anyone wins a patent judgment against anyone for VP8, Google pays. So of course Microsoft would be happy to take a cost-free action in exchange for a risky action by Google. Google isn't going to promise to indemnify everyone, because that puts real stockholder money on the line to pay whatever some idiot Texas jury decides (sorry to Texans in the audience, but Texas is infamous for its patent courts, which is why all plaintiffs try to sue for patent infringement in Texas).
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Microsoft isn't a member (yet?) Posted Apr 27, 2011 22:09 UTC (Wed) by Simetrical (guest, #53439) [Link]
I was asking about the part I bolded, where Microsoft said it would join a patent pool if Google formed one. That's independent from the indemnification part, as I read it.
Microsoft isn't a member (yet?) Posted Apr 27, 2011 23:45 UTC (Wed) by JoeBuck (subscriber, #2330) [Link]
No, they are also requiring that Google include "all other major providers of playback software and devices", meaning Apple, Motorola, Sony and who knows who else. They seem to be saying that they'd be the very last to join such a pool.
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