Thanks NTCompatible for spotting this one. A digital rights management company has expanded its patent infringement suit against Microsoft, targeting its forthcoming Windows XP operating system and .Net initiative.
InterTrust Technologies, which makes software that protects songs and videos from being illegally copied, said Thursday that it has added three patents to its lawsuit against Microsoft. The new filing alleges that the software giant"s .Net framework and features of Windows XP, Office XP and other products infringe on InterTrust technology patents.
"In the early "90s, InterTrust thought about and filed patents on how you do trust management in a distributed environment like the Internet," said Ed Fish, president of InterTrust"s MetaTrust Utility Division. "As Microsoft is now moving into it, they"re adopting that very technology, and it"s important that they respect our rights."
Microsoft has responded to InterTrust"s filings by denying its claims and turning the tables on the anti-piracy company, saying last month that it infringed on two of the software giant"s patents.