As predicted here, Microsoft now claims to own Linux. In a speech last Friday (NZ time) Microsoft CEO Steve "Fatty" Ballmer "declared his belief that the Linux operating system infringes on Microsoft’s intellectual property." [link] Thanks Novell and Suse! (I'll have more on ditching Suse and OpenSuse later in the week.)

In a separate but potentially related story, Intel have patented internet telephony. This brilliant, brand new, utterly original idea involves "A telephone system wherein all the functions of a digital telephone can be accessed and implemented on a personal computer alone." Clever, huh? Bet you wish you thought of it! The fact that Skype have been giving the software away to do this for years doesn't seem to matter to the US Patent Office.

So how does this relate to MS/Linux? Because, like the SCO case they not-so-secretly financed, Microsoft's ill-defined claims are based on an incompetent and irredeemably broken patent system and are yet another attempt at anti-Linux FUD.  So let Intel patent internet telephony, let Microsoft patent breathing and sex. I say bring it on. It can only advance the collapse of the ridiculous US patent system.