News Microsoft Settles With Burst.com

Once again Billcrosoft digs deep and settles out of court - this time it's over their alleged pilfering of Burst's patented video streaming code for use in WMP. PCWorld reports:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Microsoft will pay video-player software vendor Burst.com $60 million to settle Burst.com's antitrust and patent-infringement claims.

The settlement will give Microsoft a nonexclusive right to Burst's media player software, according to a Burst press release from late last week.

Burst.com, based in Santa Rosa, California, will use the settlement money to pay off long-term debts, enforce patent claims against other companies, and to pay shareholders, according to the press release.

The Burst.com case was among the first round of antitrust lawsuits filed by Microsoft competitors following settlement of the U.S. government's antitrust case against the company in November 2001.

More here

$60m? That's peanuts. They probably found that down the back of one of the sofas in Redmond's Exec lounge...