[FSUG-Bangalore] Microsoft FAT Patents Declared Valid

[haynes davis]

http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/microsoft-fat-patents-declared-valid-trouble-for-linux/


The US Patent and Trademark Office has declared that patents Microsoft holds
on file allocation tables (FAT) are valid. Unfortunately Linux OS uses FAT
file system.

Public Patent Foundation had moved last year to declare FAT patents invalid
, but the US Patent Office ruled that the patent techniques are new and non
obvious.

Florian Mueller, a noted campaigner against software patents, said: "This is
now a situation in which Microsoft could cause major problems to Linux
vendors and users. Microsoft may not want to do that yet… but it gives
Microsoft the strategic option to do so at a time of its choosing."

FAT patents now hang as damocles sword on Linux vendors users and may
significantly affect its adoption in corporations.
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