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Re: Joint ownership of the data-dataContainer combination

• To: xml-dev@l...
• Subject: Re: Joint ownership of the data-dataContainer combination
• From: james anderson <james.anderson@s...>
• Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 13:25:06 +0200
• Organization: nil
• References: <14.f79c016.2bd3b0cc@a...>
• Reply-to: james.anderson@s...

?!

is there anything in microsoft's recent licensing agreements which awards them
any rights with regard to a .doc file in a generic format which one creates
using software which one uses under those licenses? i have not read a
microsoft license in several years, but i recall no such provision in the
license for word as word 6.0 for the mac. granted that is eight years ago, but
even allowing for microsoft's appetite, i would be astounded if they have
"achieved" that.

how can microsoft's rights to software which exploits the ip inherent in their
format implies any rights with respect to the files which do not use prepared
forms. 

AndrewWatt2000@a... wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
> So for this example, given that data can be added to the .doc data
> container, the data-dataContainer combination is a Microsoft Word .doc file.
> 
> If we open a new Microsoft Word document and save it without adding any
> data, we produce a file in the .doc format. Apart possibly from the file
> name just about everything in that file belongs to Microsoft, since the .doc
> file format is proprietary to Microsoft.

no, not as i recall my license.

> 
> Given that the .doc file format is proprietary (anyone disputing that
> aspect?) the content of the .doc file at that stage, being in this case
> virtually wholly Microsoft proprietary material, belongs to Microsoft.
> 

no, as i recall my license, that particular file does not belong to microsoft.

> Microsoft has licensed us a tool to manipulate that file, but the file
> format (the data container) continues to belong to Microsoft.
> 


wherease my version of the license asserts microsoft's right to write and sell
a program which manipulates files in that format, i do not recall that it gave
them any rights to do anything with the particular files.

...

• References:
  • Joint ownership of the data-dataContainer combination
    • From: AndrewWatt2000@a...

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