http://www.slyck.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=45713Microsoft’s pay-per-use computing patent application, uncovered at the end of December, has been rejected by the US Patent & Trademark Office. The application - which described a system whereby users would receive a high-power PC and be able to select multiple levels of performance, with costs varying according to use - was criticised as being unclear and “fuzzy” in places, with the USPTO feeling that much of what Microsoft was claiming had already been patented. Microsoft can now contest the decision or rework the application and resubmit it. However while it may be relatively straightforward to tweak the language into something less fuzzy - “polls” being one criticized word - it’s hard to imagine how they can get around the USPTO’s belief that the main concepts have already been claimed by others.
Microsoft would argue that was all intended in the users best interest of course. If you believe that then you'll believe anything.
