Saturday, December 23, 2006

Microsoft Attempts To Patent RSS

RSS is a method to syndicate your sites content to others in an either full or partial fashion. Microsoft has applied for two patents that cover RSS (located here and here). The patents cover the ability to 'subscribe to a particular Web feed' and 'efficiently consume or read RSS feeds using both an RSS reader and a Web browser.’ Remember those are drawn directly from the patents but the whole attempt wreaks of shadiness on Microsoft's part. Why? Microsoft didn't invent RSS or RSS readers and is just attempting to steal a product designed and marketed by others but that hasn't been patented yet.

Word of Microsoft’s applications drew fire from Dave Winer, a self-described co-inventor of RSS. “Presumably they’re eventually going to charge us to use it,” he wrote in Thursday morning’s dispatch at his site, Scripting News. “This should be denounced by everyone who has contributed anything to the success of RSS.”
CNET has more on the story.

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