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>It was the culmination of a bold campaign by a man named Michael Doyle to levy a vast patent tax on the modern web. It wasn't a bold campaign, the man's a cow
by phaus 13y ago
>It was the culmination of a bold campaign by a man named Michael Doyle to levy a vast patent tax on the modern web.
It wasn't a bold campaign, the man's a coward and a piece of shit. He should be going to prison for trying to extort billions of dollars from technology companies.
- eksith 13y agoYes, he is a scumbag and what he did was unethical and still perfectly legal. We have to remember that before reaching for the lock and key. I doubt RICO would stick or even blackmail or extortion. What would be the charge against him? Maybe there's some tax dodging going on, but something tells me he's been careful. Being a scumbag, unfortunately, isn't enough to land someone in prison so that would leave other legal avenues to make future scumbaggery less profitable.
- CDRdude 13y agoWhat, exactly, is cowardly about him? If anything, he seems like a bold piece of shit rather than a cowardly one.
- patmcguire 13y agoCoward seems to be in the bag of words people reach for when trying to say someone is really, really bad.
- beedogs 13y agoHe should be made to pay treble damages to anyone he successfully extorted money from, too.
- davidw 13y agoI've interacted with Mike a few times via the Tcl newsgroup, and he seems like an alright person in general. I think a lot of people, when presented with an opportunity to go for zillions of dollars would take it. That does not mean I approve of his actions, but I think we can discuss them and the patent system without resorting to name calling, no?
- Goronmon 13y agoI've interacted with Mike a few times via the Tcl newsgroup, and he seems like an alright person in general. While you may not approve of his actions, you seem to be defending them because he acted like an "alright person" a couple of times in a newsgroup. You're acting like he saw someone drop a $20 on the ground and took it for himself. I think a lot of people, when presented with an opportunity to go for zillions of dollars would take it. Well, yes, patent trolls are pretty common nowadays. This doesn't make their actions less terrible.
- davidw 13y agoLet's try again: "That does not mean I approve of his actions" I am against software patents and do not think he's doing something that makes the world a better place. My point is merely that he's a human being who did something I don't like and not some evil monster. Sorry if that offends your sense of outrage.