It's only word files with custom XML. I think that's when companies define structured documents with fields, which get entered into the xml.

For example if you were making a requisition form, and each fillable field has a corresponding xml field. This becomes interesting when you then take those word files and directly processes them, automatically extracting the info from the xml.

It doesn't apply to regular word files. (Or even files with generic fillable fields.)

The company that filed the lawsuit apparently makes some sort of plugin that does something relating to this in word. I guess they want Microsoft to remove the built in capability, and force people to buy their plugin.

Despite the title, they don't really want Microsoft to stop shipping word altogether.

"Despite the title, they don't really want Microsoft to stop shipping word altogether."

But wouldn't that be fun?

Seriously, I am divided. Part of me sees this as an abuse of the patent system, that shouldn't allow bad patents (and I assume this is a bad one), but another part is having a really good laugh.

Does MS have a history of patent abuse? AFAIK they don't. They talk about it a lot, but I don't think they actually engage much. I hate MS as much as the next Linux loving commie, but this is stupid.

"Does MS have a history of patent abuse?"

One well known case:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stac_Electronics

"Stac, in an effort led by attorney Morgan Chu, sued Microsoft for infringement of two of its data compression patents, and won"

EDIT: So they have a history of sometimes infringing patents, but by abuse perhaps you meant using patents as a weapon?

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10206988-56.html - "Microsoft, TomTom settle patent dispute". I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. Some of the patents that MS was beating their war drum over are silly and ignore that the only reason TomTom uses some of these features is to support MS windows users.

I frankly hope they have to payout a half a billion dollars like they did with Eolas so they realize that no software patents is likely cheaper than paying out and paying for lawyers.

Maybe they don't have a story of patent abuse through the courts, probably because they don't want to risk invalidating their patents.

And why bother suing Linux corporate users, most of them also Microsoft users?

Sowing FUD is just as good

Exactly :-).

But I really don't want anything like that to happen.

Nor do I think it will, though. I'm sure they will solve this somehow. It's simply not possible to stop Microsoft shipping Word :-).

Probably true. But it is possible to stop Microsoft.