Microsoft Charging Royalties For Linux

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? "

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[Anonymous Coward]

You and your damn facts. Can't we just get some nice Microsoft bashing going on?

Chorme!

[mogness]

...This time in the form of Android and Chorme OS.

I'm just glad it's for Chorme OS and not Chrome OS...

Re:Translation Please

[kimvette]

Easy!

"gee, that is an awful nice handset you have there. It would be a damn shame if something were to happen to it. Perhaps you would be interested in our protection services?"

Re:Blowback

[GodfatherofSoul]

Microsoft is turning into a really big fish in a really big pond; the problem is that pond is in Minnesota. You can't throw your weight around when you don't have a strong presence in every aspect of your market anymore.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[Auroch]

The wheel was patented a few years ago. I think it's safe enough to say it would never survive even a cursory review of prior art.

It would (unfortunately) still have to go to court eventually, but that doesn't make it valid, it just makes the american legal system insane.

Sorry to pull you back into sanity.

Fixed it for you! We have (for the moment...) sane laws up north. You may call us your hat, but we canadians refer to you as our balls (or ass, depending on how magnanimous we're feeling...)

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[Venerence]

To the original poster: You live on planet earth. You therefore are liable to being sued by Microsoft.

I don't think you are considering it as a true Microsoft CEO. If we ever discover Martians, I'm sure Microsoft will find a way to sue them for their rich martian ambrosia.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[h4rm0ny]

If we ever discover martians, one of two things will happen. Either they will be more technologically advanced than us, in which case the US, Russian and Chinese governments will tell us all what wonderful friends of ours they are and offer us all as cheap, third-world labour to the martians. Or they'll be less technologically advanced than us in which case our governments will tell us what a terrible threat they are to us and invade them. Unless they're particularly fluffy and people protest, in which case we wont invade, we'll merely liberate them.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[pinkeen]

They patented a job description of a secretary!
And how all that is new? How on earth this could be patentable? Going further with this, someone should charge royalty fees for every pen and piece of paper, especially if they are bundled together.

Re:Asus denies it

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually it's pretty Autumnal here now, old chap.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[Eunuchswear]

The US can't be Canada's balls.

Everyone knows Canada has no balls.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[oh_my_080980980]

Microsoft apologist...you probably own a Zune.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[MonsterTrimble]

Everyone knows Canada has no balls.

Ironic coming from someone with 'Eunuch' in their name.

Re:Nicely twisted summary

[hweimer]

The whole story is bullshit too, as AsusTek has denied Microsoft asking for royalties [focustaiwan.tw].

Which might also just mean that they do not want to get caught when illegally distributing the Linux kernel.