Microsoft Hit with Patent Injunction

[scuzzman]

Looks like LongHorn might be delayed a little further...

A preliminary injunction in a patent infringement suit filed by Alacritech could keep Microsoft's Longhorn from getting out of the gate.

Microsoft plans to ship its next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, in 2006. But Alacritech claims Longhorn includes its intellectual property.

On Wednesday, a district court judge granted the networking and storage software vendor a preliminary injunction that could prevent the world's largest software maker from making, using, offering for sale, selling, importing or inducing others to use its "Chimney" TCP (define) offload architecture.

TCP Chimney, which offloads the TCP protocol stack to a Network Interface Card for better network performance, is slated for use in both Longhorn and in the Scalable Networking Pack for Windows Server 2003.

Alacritech sued Microsoft in Federal District Court on August 11, 2004, alleging that Microsoft's existing and future operating systems containing the "Chimney" TCP offload architecture uses Alacritech's SLIC Technology architecture.

The suit is based on two of Alacritech's fundamental patents relating to scalable networking: U.S. Patent No. 6,427,171 and U.S. Patent No. 6,697,868, both entitled "Protocol Processing Stack for use with Intelligent Network Interface Device."

Full story here.

[andsome]

Let them fight it out, it won't bother me in the least.

[CurlyWhirly]

Can't Microsoft just rename it, as it hasn't even been released yet?

That would save on all the litigation and expense.

[scuzzman]

It's not the name that's the problem -- it's the idea, and potentially the code behind it.

[CurlyWhirly]

It's not the name that's the problem -- it's the idea, and potentially the code behind it.

That means they have real problems. :o

I expect that Microsoft will be able to resolve the dispute with a court settlement as they have plenty of cash reserve!