Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register) [LWN.net]

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 1:32 UTC (Fri) by marduk (guest, #3831)
In reply to: Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register) by jspaleta
Parent article: Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

What's with all the Texas bashing? As if all of the software patent suits came out of Texas. Apple, Xerox, Microsoft, Oracle, etc. have all attacked OSS with patent suits, and that's all nice and entertaining, but we don't go after their respective home states. You could probably bury most attacks against OSS by dropping an H-bomb on Silicon Valley. So why go after Texas?

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Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 3:24 UTC (Fri) by jd (guest, #26381) [Link] (6 responses)

Probably because the "don't mess with Texas" attitude, heavy insularism, arrogance, the active promotion as a tax haven (which costs the rest of us money as we have to pay the shortfall) and notorious contempt for the rest of the US (not to mention the International courts, assorted treaties, etc) really get on people's nerves from time to time. Texas is probably no worse than anywhere else in the world in any practical sense, and may well be better than some places, but it has actively invited more than a little of the antagonism towards it.

The fact that Texan courts are notorious for siding against anyone who isn't (a) rich and (b) in Texas doesn't help. Yes, they're not your fault, you didn't make the law, but what they do inescapably reflects on you, the same way that the US courts and the US government are the visible face of America to the world.

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 3:46 UTC (Fri) by marduk (guest, #3831) [Link]

And what really does any of this have to do with the subject matter? I could go on and spout whatever complaints I have about the Middle East, fiscal irresponsibility, black people, or whatever silly generalization I happen to think of at the moment, but those things pretty much have nothing to do with the matter at hand.

Couple that with the fact that (a) Google is Goliath in this case and (b) the amount awarded was relatively small, your so-called justification for spouting out a bunch of unrelated BS holds little water.

And "Don't mess with Texas" is an anti-littering campaign.

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 16:23 UTC (Fri) by martinfick (subscriber, #4455) [Link] (4 responses)

I have no penchant towards or against Texas, but your remarks come off rather bigoted to me. Replace Texas with any other locale and ask yourself if you would feel comfortable making the same generalizations about any other place, even if you felt them to be true, as you have in your statement?

I am really disgusted how there seems to be more and more of a free for all in blatant anti US bigottism displayed here on LWN. I don't care that it is against the US, I am just annoyed at how ugly the behavior is and how people seem to think ugly behavior is OK for some reason if directed against some US entity.

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 18:02 UTC (Fri) by drag (guest, #31333) [Link] (3 responses)

> I have no penchant towards or against Texas, but your remarks come off rather bigoted to me. Replace Texas with any other locale and ask yourself if you would feel comfortable making the same generalizations about any other place, even if you felt them to be true, as you have in your statement?

You've never been to Texas, have you?

For people that are native residents being Texan is a often a extreme point in pride. They, quite literally, believe that they are the best people in the world. They will take it as a personal insult if you ask them if they are from Texas or not... and will actually get upset about it. You should know instinctively!

But really, Texas does kick ass in a lot of ways. I would actually be very happy to live there. It really is better then most other states.

The patent issue, however, is a federal issue. Not state. Since USA law is based a lot on case precedent it's often quite a bit by accident what jurisdictions are more patent-friendly or not.

> I am really disgusted how there seems to be more and more of a free for all in blatant anti US bigottism displayed here on LWN. I don't care that it is against the US, I am just annoyed at how ugly the behavior is and how people seem to think ugly behavior is OK for some reason if directed against some US entity.

They are ignorant. That is what makes them bigoted. They don't realize that the USA is a easy scapegoat that their media and governments use to divert attention away from their own shit policies and bad decisions. They don't realize that most of their civilization for the past 60 years has been prompt up by American-style capitalism.

They also don't realize that USA government != USA people. Also states are separate entities from the federal government. Our two-party system is a pile of shit and we are paying the price for it with our failing economy. They don't understand that the people that are resentful and irritated at the USA government are the ones fighting against the badness that USA produces in the world.

One of the these days thy will start to fully realize that the only reason our government's bad decisions are hurting them so much is because their economies and governments have become so utterly dependent on USA.
They know this partially already and it burns. It's natural that this dependencies lead to resentment.

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 25, 2011 15:30 UTC (Mon) by renox (guest, #23785) [Link] (2 responses)

>They [Texans], quite literally, believe that they are the best people in the world.

Well, I've been to SF and I was quite surprised by the number of USA flags which were displayed there, so apparently it's not only Texas..
And nationalism isn't a good thing in my book as each country has a lot of skeletons in its closets..

>USA government != USA people

Well, USA people still elected Ronald Reagan, Bush Jr (twice!!), elections which were quite surprising for a foreigner like me (not that us French did much better with Sarkozy..).

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 25, 2011 15:38 UTC (Mon) by Trelane (guest, #56877) [Link] (1 responses)

> I've been to SF and I was quite surprised by the number of USA flags which were displayed there, so apparently it's not only Texas..
And nationalism isn't a good thing in my book as each country has a lot of skeletons in its closets..

So displaying a country's flag necessarily implies nationalism?

Interesting.

> USA people still elected Ronald Reagan, Bush Jr (twice!!), elections which were quite surprising for a foreigner like me (not that us French did much better with Sarkozy..).

If you don't understand something, generally I thought you were supposed to get to understand them, not hate them.

Off topic

Posted Apr 25, 2011 15:41 UTC (Mon) by corbet (editor, #1) [Link]

So can we agree that this conversation has gone far enough off topic that it's maybe best continued in a different venue? Thanks.

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 3:48 UTC (Fri) by ajross (subscriber, #4563) [Link]

It's not the location of the plaintiffs, it's the location of the court:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_District_Court...

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 6:48 UTC (Fri) by job (guest, #670) [Link] (2 responses)

Sorry if I enter some American inter-state bickering here that I don't understand, but I am immediately reminded of this hilarious story that may be related to your question.

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 10:06 UTC (Fri) by Ben_P (guest, #74247) [Link] (1 responses)

Along with the off-topic Texas discussion. Their governor just released a statement asking all Texan's to do a rain dance. Rain dance in this case is not a hyperbole or joke.

http://governor.state.tx.us/news/proclamation/16038/

Google Linux servers hit with $5m patent infringement verdict (The Register)

Posted Apr 22, 2011 18:53 UTC (Fri) by xxiao (guest, #9631) [Link]

heard this yesterday on radio, can't believe this!