Well, look at this - Microsoft has gone ahead and worked around the hacks at Eolas, who wanted to get paid off for their ability to fool patent office staff. They claim to feel bad for users. Sure. And I'm the Queen of Romania, as Dorothy Parker once said:

Eolas Technologies says the decision by Microsoft to modify its Internet Explorer browser at the expense of a seamless user experience is a "disappointment" and a "shame."

It's a shame that these morons haven't gotten lost in the jungle too. Their COO is apparently miffed:

"Microsoft is apparently of the position that this [IE modification] helps their litigation position. I can't comment on the specifics of whether that's true or not. Our position remains the same. We are ready to have reasonable discussions on licensing the technology," Swords said.

Here, let me translate: "Microsoft didn't want to pay us off for our non-invention, but we're still ready to extort money from them if they feel stupid".