[QD-Filosofia] Microsoft heralds study on customer legal protections

http://news.com.com/2100-1016_3-5570269.html

Microsoft heralds study on customer legal protections

Published: February 9, 2005, 9:00 PM PST
By Ina Fried
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Microsoft is touting a new study that points out that the software maker 
offers customers more legal protection against intellectual property claims 
than that given by open-source rivals.

The IDC report, by IDC analysts Stephen Graham and Alexandrina Boariu, says 
that Microsoft's policy indemnifying all end users over most types of 
intellectual property claims "effectively raises the stakes for protecting 
software customers."

However, the report is fairly neutral on whether such protection is a major 
issue for customers. The report notes that outside of SCO's actions against 
Linux, major claims affecting software end customers have been fairly rare. 
At the same time, IDC notes that discussion of the issue has risen in the 
wake of SCO's actions.

"Recognize this for what it is--a differentiation strategy," the IDC 
analysts said in the report. "If customers value this basis of 
differentiation, they will act accordingly."

Microsoft, in particular, has been vocal on the issue, marketing it as the 
latest component of its anti-Linux "get the facts" campaign. In November, 
Microsoft extended its legal protection to nearly all customers, whereas a 
previous policy was limited to volume license customers. The company has 
also lifted a monetary cap it once had against such claims.

Martin Taylor, Microsoft's general manager of platform strategy, said the 
issue is of increasing concern to customers, particularly when it comes to 
core systems.

"It's really about how much do they care about it and what level of risk do 
they want to assume," Taylor said.

Hewlett-Packard and Novell have offered liability protection to some Linux 
customers, but both Microsoft and analysts have noted that those protections 
are more limited than the broad indemnity offered by Microsoft.

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