[OT] Microsoft filled patent applications for scoped and immutable types

[Nick Sabalausky via Digitalmars-d]

On 8/26/2014 5:24 PM, H. S. Teoh via Digitalmars-d wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 26, 2014 at 09:02:43PM +0000, MacAsm via Digitalmars-d wrote:
>> On Tuesday, 26 August 2014 at 19:37:29 UTC, Max Klyga wrote:
>>> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2014/0196008.html - IMMUTABLE
>>> OBJECT TYPES
>>>
>>> I really hope patent office will reject these applications.
>>
>> How bad will this be to D?
>
> D has had immutable for years! Surely that counts as prior art?? Does
> the patent office accept prior art submissions?
>

I doubt very much the USPTO gives a rat's ass about prior art. Their 
strategy has been to sell patents to as many applicants as they can and 
let the courts sort them all out. (The gov like to pretend that that 
their court system, and therefore justice itself, doesn't cost $$$$$.)

As for the specific patents, meh, I've long been convinced that it's 
physically impossible to write any useful software without inadvertently 
"infringing" on several US patents. I doubt very much that even a "Hello 
World" wouldn't involve anything that some patent could make a claim over.

This is what happens when corporations are permitted free reign.