On Mar 30, 8:19 pm, Rjack <u...@example.net> wrote: > 7 wrote: > > Rjack the stupid 1 wrote:
> >> "Microsoft and TomTom have settled their controversial patent > >> dispute, which included allegations that the Linux kernel infringes > >> on Microsoft's filesystem patents. TomTom has licensed the patents > >> from Microsoft, but intends to remove from its Linux kernel the code > >> that is covered by the patents." The Lawsuit was probably something Microsoft was eager to get settled. Getting a settlement that netted Microsoft even a miniscule amount of money was a strategic coup. Of course, this is why Microsoft wanted to sue a relatively small company like Tom-Tom rather than a monster like IBM, Verizon, Kodak, or AT&T. On the other hand, Tom-Tom now has a comprehensive list of the specific "devices" Microsoft has patented, and this code can easily be replaced with code which is similar in function (reads FAT file systems) but substantially different in implementation - the "better mouse trap". It may have been Microsoft pushing for a quick settlement when it suddenly realized that a huge patent umbrella was likely to be used in countersuits. Tom-Tom had several prior patents, including several that Microsoft claimed were theirs. Microsoft's attempt to beat up open source reminds me of "Song of the South" when Brier Rabbit tried to beat up the "tar baby" (a scarecrow type thing made of tar). The more he hits it and struggles, the more stuck he gets. To escape being eaten by Brier Bear and Brier Fox, he begs them not to throw him into the Brier Patch - and when they do, thinking this will finish him off and give them dinner, he slips into the safety of the thorns and thickets - and is able to scurry away. Microsoft knew it was stuck, and offered a settlement that let them "save face" and continue business as usual, without having their own source code base "eaten" by GPL patents. > >>http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/03 > > microsoft-and-tomtom-settle-patent-dispute.ars _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list gnu-misc-discuss@gnu.org http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss