

Microsoft says Google Android is 'standing on our shoulders' - sasvari
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/oct/31/microsoft-android-patent-battle/print

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ZeroGravitas
The answer the 'standing on our shoulders' quote comes from:

 _Q: Can you give us a sense of one or two of the critical features in Android
that Microsoft argues it invented?_

 _A: There are a number of technologies that have to do with really critical
features that make smart phones what they are today. For example, the ability
to synchronize the content that you have in your phone with the information in
the server of your company or in your computer at home.

But then there are all these other features that just make the phone much more
efficient, things that are embedded deeply in the operating system. Microsoft
has invested for decades more money than anyone else in research and
development directed toward the efficiency of operating systems. These devices
have moved from having a rudimentary phone system to being a full-fledged
computer, with a sophisticated, modern operating system.

In doing that, they have really stood on the shoulder of companies like
Microsoft who made all these billions of dollars in investments._

So... that'll be a "no" then?

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gldalmaso
The whole concept of software patent is an abomination.

Why not then just dive into api patent? "the ability to read data from an
input stream of bytes", "the ability to show the strength of a wireless
internet connection signal", "the ability to compute something"

Nothing right now is slowing down innovation more than these nonsensical
patent-wars.

In the end it's just a way for big companies to prevent competition from
smaller ones that can't handle the heat of the war.

