Microsoft is transforming from a proprietary software vendor into a litigation house, using the mere threat of patent lawsuits to effectively extort payments like a modern day Al Capone.

In the last two years, the term "cloud computing" has infiltrated the mainstream press (although the concept has existed for years). More and more businesses are embracing this way of thinking about information technology. And if the seminar circuit is any evidence, the legal world has awoken to the myriad challenges of cloud computing.