!011894 Microsoft is hiring a software patent lawyer - OH NO!!!! OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Microsoft is hiring another patent attorney, this one software specific. Is this a sign the software patent wars are heating up? Can civilization survive a patent-crazy Microsoft? Earthquakes, fires and floods in LA. What's next??? :-) For those looking for a patent attorney job, here goes. Microsoft Corporation, the worldwide leader in software for personal computers, has an opening for a Patent Attorney in its Law and Corporate Affairs Department. You will be involved in a wide variety of intellectual property law matters, including patent procurement, counseling and conflict resolution. The successful candidate will have at least 4 years experience in preparing and prosecuting software patent applications and in advising clients on patent, copyright and unfair competition issues in computer software or related technologies. A BS in Computer Science, BSEE or equivalent degree is required, as is current registration to practice before the USPTO and present or future admission to practice law in the state of Washington. Microsoft offers an excellent compensation and benefits package. For consideration, please send resume and salary history to: MICROSOFT CORPORATION Attn: Recruiting Department A1386-0116 One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399 No phone calls please. We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Some background information. To date, Microsoft has not been a big player in the patent field, with only 36 patents to its name. Of these, five are design patents, the rest a mix of hardware and software. There are three patent attorneys on staff, though Microsoft uses the Seattle law firm Seed & Berry to prosecute its patents. For its successful defense of copyright infringement filed by Apple, Microsoft used the San Francisco patent litigation firm of McCutcheon, Doyle, Enersen & Brown. Around June of 1992, Microsoft paid IBM between $20 and $30 million to license IBM's hardware and software patent portfolio, as part of negotiations over OS/2. To date, it has not been apparent that Microsoft has felt much of a need for patent protection, considering that IBM has hundred times more patents than Microsoft. Though if I was an IBM shareholder, I would prefer Microsoft's profits to IBM's patents. Greg Aharonian Internet Patent News Service