OpenOffice.org Monday cry Microsoft Corp. ’s assertion that its loose - source lotion entourage violates 45 of its patent of invention “ a do-or-die act . ”

“ It ’s just arduous to put into believable term , ” said Louis Suarez - Potts , a community of interests manager for OpenOffice.org and seven - year veteran of the all - volunteer radical . “ I do n’t sympathise what motivated Microsoft to lay on the line so much with a position that can only serve to alienate [ endeavour ] customers , as well as those millions of the great unwashed who use Linux . ”

In an interview with Fortune posted on the magazine ’s Web land site Sunday , Brad Smith , Microsoft ’s general counsel , spelled out the troupe ’s spot . During the interview , Smith claimed that OpenOffice.org , the open - source alternative to Microsoft ’s own Office suite , violates nearly four dozen letters patent . Smith did not narrow down the patent Microsoft believes have been profane by the software collection ; nor did a follow - up statement issued by a Microsoft spokesman Monday .

OpenOffice , which is available in editions for both Windows and Linux , can be downloaded and used for free . A version written for Apple ’s Mac OS hug drug Aqua user interface should hit genus Beta examination later this yr . Microsoft Office , meanwhile , comes in versions for Windows and Mac OS X , and is price start at US$ 149 .

“ This is an extraordinary and despairing act , ” pronounce Suarez - Potts , who works for the Canadian - based Collaborative internet Technologies , Inc. “ I believe it will backfire . Microsoft ’s using a scattergun against clear - beginning . ”

Suarez - Potts experience evidence of the scattershot approach in Microsoft ’s focus on GPLv3 , version 3 of the Free Software Foundation ’s General Public License . A Microsoft spokesman today said : “ The late draft of the GPLv3 attempts to tear down the bridgework between proprietary and assailable reference engineering that Microsoft has make for to progress with the industry and customer . ”

But OpenOffice does n’t even use the GPL permit , Suarez - Potts noted . “ We utilize the LGPL ( GNU Lesser General Public License ) . ”

Previously , the only head - butting between Microsoft and OpenOffice.org has been over document formats , with the former labour its Open XML and the latter promoting the open - source ODF ( Open Document Format ) .

“ Incredible and awe-inspiring , those are the Holy Writ I have for this , ” concluded Suarez - Potts .