[LINK] Microsoft sues TomTom

Kim Holburn kim at holburn.net
Sat Mar 7 01:18:39 AEDT 2009


Interesting case.  Microsoft has sued TomTom for using various MS  
patents, among others using VFAT file system on flash memory devices  
and using computer interfaces for in-vehicle GPS systems.

An interesting article by Glynn Moody here:
http://www.computerworlduk.com/toolbox/open-source/blogs/index.cfm?entryid=1953&blogid=14
refers to Jeremy Allison of samba's analysis:

> What people are missing about this is the either/or choice that  
> Microsoft is giving Tom Tom.
>
> It isn't a case of cross-license and everything is ok. If Tom Tom or  
> any other company cross licenses patents then by section 7 of GPLv2  
> (for the Linux kernel) they lose the rights to redistribute the  
> kernel *at all*.
>
> Microsoft has been going around and doing these patent cross  
> licensing deals with companies under NDA's so they never come to  
> light for *years*.
>
> That was the whole point of the Novell deal - Microsoft lawyers  
> finally thought they'd found a way to *publicly* do these cross  
> licensing deals and get around the GPLv2, but the GPLv3 put paid to  
> that.
>
> Tom Tom are the first company to publicly refuse to engage in this  
> ugly little protection racket, and so they got sued. Had Tom Tom  
> silently agreed to violate the GPL, as so many others have, then  
> we'd only hear about a vague "patent cross licensing deal" just like  
> the ones Microsoft announces with other companies.
>
> Make no mistake, this is intended to force Tom Tom to violate the  
> GPL, or change to Microsoft embedded software.


I can't see how this can end well for either party.

-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
Ph: +39 06 855 4294  M: +39 3494957443
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request









More information about the Link mailing list