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Microsoft, amid an IP spree that has won the company patent protection for everything from 27 XML dialects to 28 video game storage methods, mistakenly received a patent on Tuesday for a new variety of apple tree. Dubbed the "Burchinal Red Delicious," the tree is notable for producing fruit that achieves a deep red color significantly earlier than other varieties. Other than the assignee field, the patent makes no reference to Microsoft to explain the software giant's apparent new horticultural interest. Burchinal declined to comment on the patent, but a member of his household said the Microsoft assignation was likely an error. A Microsoft representative confirmed that the assigning of the patent to the company was a mistake, after the apple paperwork was misfiled with a group of applications from a legal firm commonly used by the software giant. Microsoft has filed with the Patent Office for a certificate of correction to re-assign the patent to Burchinal, the representative said. The apple claim, however brief, is the first botanical entry in Microsoft's patent portfolio. But the software giant has been a prolific patent generator in other areas. The company embarked on a campaign late last year to 31 generate more revenue from its patent portfolio, offering to license widely used inventions such as its ClearType font technology and FAT storage format. A group of CIOs talk about how to get executive and employee buy-in for open-source projects.
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