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Microsoft FAT patents
Microsoft has a number of patents on how to deal with filename in their commonly used FAT filesystem.
These include:
- US5,579,517 "The '517 patent"
- US5,758,352
Timeline
- December 2003: MS starts threatening people[1]
- September 2004: The '517 patent is rejected[2] thanks to the work of PubPat[3] and others.
- January 2006: The '517 patent is reinstated[4]
- January 2009: Microsoft uses it's FAT patents against TomTom
Related pages on ESP Wiki
- Microsoft
- Microsoft vs. TomTom - where MS forced TomTom to pay for patents, seemingly including their FAT patents
- Litigation
- Example software patents
External links
- PubPat: Microsoft FAT Patent (page out of date)
- Groklaw report on A patch to remove VFAT filename conversion from the Linux kernel,
- Microsoft's IP chief on TomTom, Linux and patents, techflash, Feb 2009
In Germany
- (See: Case law in Germany)
- German appeal court upholds Microsoft FAT patent, The H, April 2010 (also: slashdot story)
- Federal Patent Court declares FAT patent of Microsoft null and void, The H, April 2007 (also: slashdot story)
- German original: WINDOWS - Dateiverwaltung beruht auf, patentfähiger Erfindung (English translations[?]: Google, bing translator)
