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Linux companies sign Microsoft patent protection pacts | |
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| Time: 12:47 EST/17:47 GMT | News Source: ComputerWorld | Posted By: Kenneth van Surksum | ||
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In Microsoft vs. TomTom, Microsoft is suing TomTom in part because the guys from Redmond claim that TomTom's use of Linux in its navigation devices has violated three of its file-system related patents. One reason why Microsoft feels it can do this is that it already has patent cross-licensing agreements covering these patents with other Linux-using companies. | ||
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| #1 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 3/5/2009 1:07:00 PM |
| So what else is new. Microsoft is a bully for targeting a small player like TomTom. Once again MS won't take Linux on head-on, and instead will just scurry around the edges trying to convince everyone that Linux is risky. If it took on IBM or Google, or anyone with resources to fight MS as an equal, the patents in question would be invalidated under the Bilski decision. MS doesn't want that so it will fight someone that it thinks it can steamroll. |
| #2 By 92283 (70.67.3.196) at 3/5/2009 11:45:53 PM |
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Neither IBM or Google have a Linux distro because they know Microsoft would sue them and get billions in damages..
Linux companies deliberately keep themselves small so it isn't worth Microsoft effort to sue them. They make sure their revenue and profit are miniscule. TomTom screwed up I guess ad made a few bucks. They got sued. |
| #3 By 15406 (216.191.227.68) at 3/6/2009 8:28:05 AM |
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#2: It's the kernel at issue, not a distro.
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| #4 By 39852 (66.131.221.66) at 3/7/2009 5:53:20 PM |
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MS are pretty smart to be making these moves. If IP law holds up in the future, MS will have a ton of patents that it inherited rights to from settlements with many many companies over the years. MS hardly ever loses a court case, it settles most of the time, often with cross-licensing deals. However, these companies don't cross-license each others' patents. In the end, MS will have the rights to do way more than any of these individual companies.
MS may be handing over valuable IP to the competition in these settlements, but it's useless if these companies have to purchase rights to use the IP that MS will have the rights to. MS is cornering the market, and best of all, they will have no right to license out the IP that they have settled for the rights to, since it is not theirs. So settlements will never include this IP, only MS IP. With these settlements, MS are encouraging these companies to freely use their IP in their products. These individual companies will have no rights to use each others' IP, and so MS IP will end up being used most widely. This implements an MS-centric software ecosystem, dependent on MS IP. So none of this software will ever be open sourced, but may make use of MS protocols, file formats, and other methods of shaping and dealing with data. It will be more valuable to MS to be spreading around use of its methods, while accumulating a huge personal portfolio of methods from others. Companies that settle with MS are only slightly prolonging their existence if IP law stays the same. |
| #5 By 28801 (65.90.202.10) at 3/9/2009 6:59:59 AM |
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#4: "This implements an MS-centric software ecosystem, dependent on MS IP. So none of this software will ever be open sourced, but may make use of MS protocols, file formats, and other methods of shaping and dealing with data."
Otherwise known as "Latch Hell"! |
| #6 By 39852 (207.61.49.155) at 3/14/2009 9:33:06 AM |
| It's pretty much hell for anyone that has to work with software... |
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