Microsoft filed for patents related to RSS technology

Software giant Microsoft has been discovered to have filed for two patents related to RSS technology which is hugely popular on the net for subscribing to website updates.

However, it is a known fact that the company has little to do with the development of this technology especially considering they adopted it quite late compared to other companies.

Tech bloggers are now worried that if the company gets their patents, they might someday charge for usage of RSS technology on the web.

Interestingly, the application was filed on June 21, 2005 and they are now available on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office website.

Developer Dave Winer spoke on this discovery: “This should be denounced by everyone who has contributed anything to the success of RSS.”

Nick Bradbury, creator of the popular RSS reader FeedDemon however had another view on Microsoft’s actions: “There are plenty of sleazebags who file patent applications on obvious ideas, and then wait for someone like Microsoft to infringe those patents. In other words, companies like Microsoft often file patents to prevent having to shell out millions of dollars to predatory lawyers who haven’t invented anything other than a legal pain in the ass.”