Protecting the proprietary software model isn't as easy as it used to be, thanks to the open-source movement. Oracle Corp.'s response has been to buy companies that own seminal code related to databases. Microsoft Corp. has been loath to pursue acquisitions — instead charging that open-source software violates 235 of its patents and asking for license fees from users of open-source software, such as Linux. This is Microsoft's attempt to spread its favorite brand of fear, uncertainty and doubt, and it may also be an admission that open-source software is really hurting its bottom line. It may also be one way of recouping the millions the company has spent filing patents since 2005, when Bill Gates directed Microsoft to file for 3,000 patents a year. On the low end, a patent can cost about $5,000 to file, so Microsoft has certainly paid about $15 million a year for its scare tactics. Of course, if the licensing strategy doesn't work, deals may have to come into play anyway. —Stacey Higginbotham

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