Pay closer attention to the game, not the players (or show and actors)



Photo source: Intellectual Ventures (which has since then removed the page connecting it to the troll that’s now suing GNOME, i.e. GNU/Linux)

Summary: Armed by the biggest patent troll of Microsoft, Rothschild Patent Imaging LLC not only threatens but also sues Free software that’s part of standard GNU/Linux desktops

HAVING just returned home I was saddened to find out that GNOME had been sued. The information became public only a few hours ago and the corresponding legal documents are already online. Tux Machines will, as usual, keep a dynamic list of articles (updated as more coverage and/or information arrives). We have some important remarks to make on this newsworthy event, particularly considering the origin of the patent troll — a subject nobody appears to be researching or even touching. We covered it here in past years (thankfully we spent many years tracking these things closely).

“We covered it here in past years (thankfully we spent many years tracking these things closely).”Early coverage said that “GNOME Foundation is Being Sued Because of Shotwell Photo Manager”; notice who they target (GNOME) and remember that funds over there are very limited and are often used for practical needs. They recently received a large and generous donation anonymously. Legal fights such as this are incredibly expensive and may drain the ‘piggy bank’, so this is no laughing matter.

Techrights wrote a LOT about this particular patent troll. Why does he pick on GNU/Linux and why now? Might Red Hat staff realise, at long last, that many of these lawsuits are connected to Microsoft? Red Hat staff is now formally employed by a company that lobbies hard for those patents — those which are often voided by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and US courts. Those are the patents that patent trolls now use against a Red Hat ‘darling’, GNOME.

“This patent lawsuit is connected not only to Microsoft (just check where this patent troll gets his patents from) but also a super-close friend of Bill Gates (he supports the troll personally).”Some Techrights articles about this particular patent troll already explained the connection to Microsoft, e.g. [1, 2, 3].

“GNOME Will “Vigorously Defend” Shotwell in Lawsuit,” said one headline. This is proving that Techrights focused on the right issues all along. Where were other groups, including the FSF and FSFE?

This patent lawsuit is connected not only to Microsoft (just check where this patent troll gets his patents from) but also a super-close friend of Bill Gates (he supports the troll personally).

Microsoft, which funds and runs it, says it “loves Linux”…”

“This is the kind of situation when 26,000 Techrights articles become very handy and invaluable for research (many of the Web pages we cited have since then been removed, but we have copies)”Of course you do, Microsoft…

Of course.

LWN is the latest to write about it; like the prior two blog reports, however, it neglects to mention that this patent troll is connected to Microsoft. It probably just doesn’t know. “Stay tuned,” Corbet wrote, “more details will surely emerge.”

Oh certainly. Stay tuned as we already have plenty of details in past articles (including the three listed above). This is the kind of situation when 26,000 Techrights articles become very handy and invaluable for research (many of the Web pages we cited have since then been removed, but we have copies). Intellectual Ventures has already removed the reference page above (the one where the above photo was originally extracted from). █

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