04-18-2004, 02:00 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Microsoft's FAT Licensing Plans Challenged
A few months back, we reported that Microsoft are planning to charge manufacturers and users of flash memory card devices, for utilising the FAT filesystem. This obviously impact all Flash memory cards in, say, Pocket PCs and Smartphones. Now the Inquirer have a story up which says that this practise is being challenged.
"A NOT FOR profit legal services organisation is applying to have Microsoft�s patent on the FAT file system revoked. The Public Patent Foundation (Pubpat) has applied to the US patients office to overturn Vole�s patent which was granted in November 26, 1996. Pubpat said the patent, which was not due to expire until 2013, was obvious and should have never been granted��It says that the patient was causing immeasurable injury to the public by serving as a tool to enlarge Microsoft�s monopoly while also preventing competition." I'm not sure if I feel immeasurably injured by Microsoft, (apart from my encounters with ActiveSync of course :wink: ), but it would be nice to avoid unnecessary media price increases if MS carry through with their plan.
The last word belongs to the Inquirer: "Statistics show that 46 per cent of patents brought to trial in the US are dismissed as bogus, so it isn�t over until the FAT lady sings." :P
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04-18-2004, 03:09 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 589
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Re: Microsoft's FAT Licensing Plans Challenged
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Originally Posted by Jonathon Watkins
I'm not sure if I feel immeasurably injured by Microsoft
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So you've been injured in a measurable way by Microsoft?
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04-18-2004, 03:15 AM
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Mystic
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,639
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The thing is, MS has been very successful and produced a lot of innovative products. They don't need to go to this level to make a few more bucks.
It looks as though they are also helping out those scumbags with the fake Linux patent claims.
C'mon MS, you don't have to do this, concentrate on getting the new version of Windows finished for goodness sake.
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Cheers!
David
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04-18-2004, 04:56 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Re: Microsoft's FAT Licensing Plans Challenged
I would hope that this announcement is just a joke but knowing MS it�s probably true :roll: . Soon they�ll charge for the stylist. Or how about charging for every character typed or printed using the Microsoft Sans Serif font? Ford could even get in on this game and charge for the button that opens the glove compartment. There is no end to this type nickel and diming people.
Yeah, Yeah, they have the right since it�s their creation but don�t get me hooked on something and then when I have a large investment in the platform start nickel and diming me. Tell me up front that these are the items that you�re charging for.
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Originally Posted by Jonathon Watkins
... I'm not sure if I feel immeasurably injured by Microsoft...
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This type of arrogance and behavior does harm people indirectly since the user has to eat the charge since there is no way to back out of being �indirectly� charged for this item. Someone does not have to be hit over the head to be hurt by an act of arrogance or some misaligned public relations.
Jeff- :soapbox:
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04-18-2004, 05:02 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Re: Microsoft's FAT Licensing Plans Challenged
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Originally Posted by lapchinj
I would hope that this announcement is just a joke but knowing MS it�s probably true :roll:
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Depends what you mean by 'this announcement'. MS is trying to charge for the licencing of FAT - that's a fact we reported on a while ago. The announcement today is that folks are challenging it legally.
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Originally Posted by lapchinj
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Jonathon Watkins
... I'm not sure if I feel immeasurably injured by Microsoft...
This type of arrogance and behavior does harm people indirectly..
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Yes indeed, I was being facetious. 
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04-18-2004, 07:36 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1
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There are many open-source filesystems that could replace FAT/FAT32.
ext2, ext3, IBM's JFS, etc. could replace FAT and make the cards more reliable.
I haven't read the patent, and I'm not sure what the claims are, but the FAT filesystem is based on ideas built upon the old venerable CP/M and the suit is probably brought to court for that reason, since the company that brought the complaint is claiming the obviousness of the patent claims.
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04-18-2004, 10:11 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 164
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This kind of arrogance may one day be the end of Microsoft's reign. I know that Microsoft is a very large company with no debt and 50 billion in the bank. 20 years from now and that can all change. No one thought at the time GM, IBM, and even Apple would be where they are now. They were the "Microsoft" of their time. Their arrogance though helped put them down from their pedestal.
Microsoft should let it go with trying to get money from their FAT file system patent. It's going to be one more reason for people to hate them.
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04-18-2004, 02:55 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 481
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Re: Microsoft's FAT Licensing Plans Challenged
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Originally Posted by Jonathon Watkins
...Depends what you mean by 'this announcement'. MS is trying to charge for the licencing of FAT - that's a fact we reported on a while ago. The announcement today is that folks are challenging it legally....
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Yeah, I was also being facetious by calling this an announcement but until I read into this matter further I really didn't realize how far it went. I didn't think that it had gone further than Miscrosoft just testing the waters and giving it a test shot to see what the the fall-out might be. I guess I was taken a bit by suprise ( 8O ) that it had already gone the legal route.
Jeff-
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04-18-2004, 04:32 PM
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Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 6,878
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What bothers me the most about this: It seems like an underhanded tactic. Give the "product" (in this case FAT) away for years, until the industry is dependant upon it, then try to force a licensing fee. Seems like Microsoft is acting like a drug dealer: Give the "customers" a few free samples, then they have no choice but to continue to buy from you...
Just my .02
Steve
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"My eyes are rolling back in my head so far I can see my grey matter bubbling and frothing from reading this thread....bleh." JD
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04-18-2004, 07:59 PM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,329
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Steven Cedrone
What bothers me the most about this: It seems like an underhanded tactic.
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Yep and Microsoft has NEVER been know for that. :roll:
What will it take for people to realize just how much of a scumball company Microsoft is? What? Do they have to come out with a corp wide policy of robbing old ladies purses for people to wake up? (And even then you'd have people justifying it.
The people at Microsoft are cool but as a collective whole they suck. :|
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