Microsoft Charging Royalties For Linux 286
andydread writes "It seems Microsoft's campaign to scare manufacturers away from open source and Linux in particular is proceeding at full force. The latest news is from Digitimes out of Taiwan. Apparently Microsoft is threatening Acer and Asustek with having to pay Microsoft a license fee for the privilege of deploying Linux on their devices. This time, it's in the form of Android and Chorme OS. So basically, this campaign is spreading to PC vendors now. What are the implications of this? Does this mean that if I build PCs with Linux (Ubuntu/ChromeOS/Fedora) and sell them I am at risk of getting sued by Microsoft? "
Blowback (Score:5, Informative)
Apparently in completely unrelated news, Asus is deprecating Windows Phone 7. [techtree.com] This even though Google totally cleaned Garmin's clock [businessweek.com] on the free navi thing.
As always, Garmin-Asus seeks the best for our consumers either on Android platform or on Windows platform. However, we see the potential of Android platform devices, so we are focusing on Android platform currently. - Steven Tu
Meanwhile Microsoft's VP, Corporate Communications Frank X. Shaw [microsoft.com] is over on Twitter [twitter.com] right now trying to repair the damage done by today's CNN Money report. [cnn.com] In case y'all want to wander over and lend him a hand.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:4, Informative)
In regards to *which* patents are being contested we can probably look at the Motorola Lawsuit to see just what Asus is being expected to pay for:
Microsoft says Motorola is violating nine patents "that are essential to the smartphone user experience, including synchronizing email, calendars and contacts, scheduling meetings, and notifying applications of changes in signal strength and battery power."
So they aren't being sued for "linux" they're being sued for the software prebundled along with the kernel and cell phone related patents.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:3, Informative)
Installing Linux... (Score:2, Informative)
Apparently it's not a problem unless you're installing them on a smartphone. These aren't really Linux patents they're claiming are being infringed.
Asus denies it (Score:5, Informative)
Here. [focustaiwan.tw]
Terribly summary, by the way.
Re:but they're not charging royalties for linux? (Score:2, Informative)
whole story is moronic (Score:1, Informative)
this site has lost the right to call MS on the FUD they do spread, because slashdot is guilty of as much, if not worse FUD of it's own.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry to pull you back to the real world... any patent that has been issued and has not expired or invalidated, is valid. It's a simple as that.
Whether you think it's a legitimate patentable invention doesn't matter. As long as the patent office thinks it is, then the patent will be issued. If you think it's not valid for whatever reason, you will have to ask a judge to invalidate it. And until they agree with you and invalidate the patent, it is valid.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, the patent for the wheel was granted in Australia [newscientist.com]
Re:It's misleading, if you don't understand the la (Score:3, Informative)
Good analysis. Would be stronger if you use "their" for the possessive rather than "there" (which is the place) (in 5 and 7).
Oh, and "its" is the possessive while "it's" is the contraction for "it is"- that's one I always have trouble with (in 6).
I don't think settling actually creates any legal precedent - that requires at least a court ruling. I does start to create a psychological and social "precedent" however.
Re:Nothing to do with Linux. (Score:4, Informative)
If Asus does not supply Exchange compatibility they will loose business. It is to many users an important feature.
They should sell the outlook compatibility as a separate app or license priced at roughly the cost of the license. That way they only have to pay for users that use the functionality as well as make clear that this is not them but MS which making you pay the 15 USD
Sue everyone! (Score:3, Informative)
It's a couple of weeks old though so obviously massively out of date:
http://infobeautiful2.s3.amazonaws.com/whos_suing_whom.png [amazonaws.com]
I'm sure yacht brochures are being mailed to all the lawyers as we speak.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:3, Informative)
Switching to a country that doesn't recognise the patents does nothing to help you when your products are impounded on entry to a country which does.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:5, Informative)
[...]patent license fees everyone else has already agreed are valid.
Europe, India, China. I think most inhabitants of our planet still live in jurisdictions that would not recognize such a patent.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:3, Informative)
Also, per capita they get laid more than you do. GTFO
Settling does not create legal precedent (Score:4, Informative)
Settling a lawsuit does not create a legal precedent. When you settle a suit, what actually happens, legally, is that the plaintiff withdraws their complaint. As far as the court is concerned, the legitimacy of the claims was never examined and the case was never decided. So no precedent.
Re:Nicely twisted summary (Score:3, Informative)
FIDO was really good at synchronizing messages public and private. Calendars and contacts are simple to map logically to messages. (Either is just a message containing a contact or meeting details).
There's absolutely nothing novel about notifying a program of anything at all. It's been done by signals or select (for examples) from the beginning of operating systems as a concept.
MS has been invited on numerous occasions to articulate how they feel their patents are violated and has refused to do so. By that, they demonstrate that they aren't actually interested in having the violations cured, they are only interested in using the courts (and massive expenses) as a blunt instrument.