For a variety of technical reasons, many dispassionate observers suspect that software patents are especially vulnerable to court challenge.
Microsoft asserting this line of reasoning is a Good Thing. IMHO, software patents are a joke and by the time this all washes out, there will be far, far fewer of the absudrdities that are patented today.
But, still waiting for the definitive end of the IBM/SCO lawsuit.
Most of the arguments bandied around against software patents could just as easily be used against all forms of patents. The left has continuously argued against patents for the same reason that they won’t acknowledge the contribution capital; i.e., tools, make to economic prosperity.
That being said, I should divulge that I have been awarded 15 hardware/software patents over the last 15 years.
There seems to be a shake-up coming over software patents due to a legitimate complaint about them. Many have been issued for mechanisms which should have been considered “obvious”.
In fact, one of my 15 patents had just been issued when I got around to reading it. It had been prepared by our corporate patent attorney based on my disclosure. I found that the patent did not describe my invention correctly and instead described what I would consider to be an “obvious” mechanism for which a patent should not have been issued!