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Microsoft FAT Patent Upheld

The patent covers a common namespace for long and short file names
By Maureen O'Gara
Article Rating:
May 3, 2010 06:15 PM EDT
Reads:
 3,852

A German appeals court has upheld the validity of Microsoft's FAT patent, the basis of some of its royalty-bearing IP claims against Linux.

In 2007 a lower German court found that the patent invalid on the basis of prior art. The higher court overturned that decision saying the claimed prior art wasn't the same.

In 2004 the Linux-protecting Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) challenged the valid of the patent and for a while there the thing was in limbo but the US Patent and Trademark Office restored it after Microsoft amended it. The PTO then told PUBPAT it couldn't appeal the decision.

The patent covers a common namespace for long and short file names and was used in Microsoft suit against TomTom and its use of Linux in its GPS devices. TomTom agreed to remove the offending functionality.

Published May 3, 2010 – Reads 3,852
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Maureen O'Gara the most read technology reporter for the past 20 years, is the Cloud Computing and Virtualization News Desk editor of SYS-CON Media. She is the publisher of famous "Billygrams" and the editor-in-chief of "Client/Server News" for more than a decade. One of the most respected technology reporters in the business, Maureen can be reached by email at maureen(at)sys-con.com or paperboy(at)g2news.com, and by phone at 516 759-7025. Twitter: @MaureenOGara

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