[NTLUG:Discuss] IP idemnification - a concern?

[agoats]

>   Remember that feature in a 
> late version of DOS that Microsoft had to replace because they lost the 
> court case (I can't even remember what it was, just that they lost and 
> had to change).  If you're going to rely a vendor's IP indemnification 
> then you need to ask yourself "How financially capable are they?"
> 

Microsoft added Stac Technology's Stacker to Windows, was caught and
lost something around $250 million. They changed to a buggier
compression software, later bought out Stac's Stacker and ceased all
distribution of Stacker(which is why it isn't available anymore).

Pushing IP Indmenity seems more a way of trying to white wash unethical
behaviour of the closed source software vendors. They fortified their
lack of ethics with the DMCA which made it harder to reverse engineer
their software to find illegal incorporation of your code in their
products.

Go visit Groklaw, they have a LOT of info on this FUD, which seems to be
making the various User Groups.

Alvin