Microsoft Settles with InterTrust - ' Page Two ' (
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Mondays settlement of InterTrusts patent infringement suit is the latest in a string of such moves by Microsoft, which just 10 days ago agreed to a $1.95 billion settlement with Sun Microsystems Inc., of Santa Clara.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told eWEEK in an interview at the companys Redmond, Wash., campus last week that the company is growing up. After years of serving the enterprise, Microsoft is now hoping to play a new role—as a trusted and responsible partner to the IT industry.
That repositioning effort has two fundamental components to it. The first is the need to resolve and/or settle as many outstanding legal issues as possible to free the company to carry out its vision, while the second centers on the security of the companys products, an area that has been under enormous scrutiny inside and outside Microsoft.
Microsoft enraged the open-source community earlier this year when it took a Unix source code and patent license from The SCO Group, a move many in the community saw as Microsofts behind-the-scenes funding of the Lindon, Utah, company.
The InterTrust settlement agreement ensures that Microsofts customers can use its products and services without requiring a license from InterTrust. In addition, software developers who build products that use Microsoft platform technology will not require an InterTrust license for normal and expected uses of the Microsoft technologies, a Microsoft spokesman told eWEEK.
However, developers, including systems integrators, may need a license from InterTrust for other uses of Microsoft technology, including cases in which Microsoft technology is combined with third-party technology, he said.
Information about licensing terms, questions about whether a license is needed and documentation needed to license InterTrust technology can be found here. Third-party software developers can obtain information here.
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