Re: FAT and Microsoft patent?

["linux-os \(Dick Johnson\)" <linux-os@analogic.com>]

On Wed, 11 Jan 2006, Christopher Friesen wrote:

> According to various sources, the USPTO has ruled that Microsoft's
> patent on FAT is valid.
>
> Does this impact Linux?  Will we have to remove the filesystem?
>
> Chris

You mean the expired patent circa 1980 for their first use of this
technology? This is 2006, 26 years later. Patents don't run forever,
you know. That's the reason why it has become the 'universal' file-
system, not because it's a good file-system, but because it's now
in the public domain due to expiration.

And, can you cite the 'various sources'. They seem to be like spooks
under the bridge, completely without merit.

Cheers,
Dick Johnson
Penguin : Linux version 2.6.13.4 on an i686 machine (5589.71 BogoMips).
Warning : 98.36% of all statistics are fiction.
.

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