<div dir="ltr"><p><a href="http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/microsoft-fat-patents-declared-valid-trouble-for-linux/">http://blog.taragana.com/index.php/archive/microsoft-fat-patents-declared-valid-trouble-for-linux/</a><br>
</p><p><br></p><p>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.</p>
<p><span id="more-1009"></span>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.</p>
<p>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."</p>
<p>FAT patents now hang as damocles sword on Linux vendors users and may significantly affect its adoption in corporations.</p></div>