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Difference between revisions of "Microsoft FAT patents"

m (Reverted edits by 111.160.70.140 (talk) to last revision by Ciaran)
(External links: * [http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/03/ms-patent/ How Linus Torvalds Helped Bust a Microsoft Patent], 27 Mar 2012, '''Wired''')
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==External links==
 
==External links==
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* [http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2012/03/ms-patent/ How Linus Torvalds Helped Bust a Microsoft Patent], 27 Mar 2012, '''Wired'''
 
* [http://www.pubpat.org/microsoftfat.htm PubPat: Microsoft FAT Patent ] (page out of date)
 
* [http://www.pubpat.org/microsoftfat.htm PubPat: Microsoft FAT Patent ] (page out of date)
 
* Groklaw report on [http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20090501191713379 A patch to remove VFAT filename conversion from the Linux kernel],  
 
* Groklaw report on [http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20090501191713379 A patch to remove VFAT filename conversion from the Linux kernel],  

Revision as of 07:08, 1 April 2012

Microsoft has a number of patents on how to deal with filename in their commonly used FAT filesystem. These patents have been issued in the USA, Germany, and surely a long list of other countries.

The FAT patents have the interesting property of being useful only for compatibility with the patent owner. The FAT patents are not otherwise useful; in fact the FAT filesystem is technically undesirable. Those who wish to make use of the patent are clearly seeking compatibility, not innovation or other useful properties.

In the USA

The FAT patents granted to Microsoft in the USA include:

Timeline

In Europe

The patents granted by the European Patent Office are:

  • EP0618550 - upheld in Germany, see below (equivalent to US5,758,352)
  •  ?

Upheld in Germany

(See: X ZR 27/07 (2010, April, Germany))

Related pages on ESP Wiki

External links

References