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Microsoft should take next steps to show good faith.

Microsoft should take next steps to show good faith.

Posted Oct 10, 2018 17:04 UTC (Wed) by bkuhn (subscriber, #58642)
Parent article: Microsoft joins Open Invention Network

I just posted a call for Microsoft to upstream exfat into Linux as a show of good faith that their intention is to stop patent shakdowns against the software freedom community. I urge everyone to carefully read the OIN agreement and their Linux System Definition to understand the limits of OIN's limited patent non-aggression pact.


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Microsoft should take next steps to show good faith.

Posted Oct 10, 2018 17:23 UTC (Wed) by patrick_g (subscriber, #44470) [Link] (3 responses)

What if the Samsung exfat code is sent tomorrow to upstream by someone other than Microsoft and accepted upstream? According to the text posted on your blog this will end the risk of patent extorsion :

> the non-aggression pact only applies to the upstream versions of software, including Linux itself.

Why there is a need to ask Microsoft to submit the exfat code themselves to upstream?

Microsoft should take next steps to show good faith.

Posted Oct 10, 2018 18:02 UTC (Wed) by bkuhn (subscriber, #58642) [Link] (2 responses)

Microsoft doing the upstreaming themselves gives the other benefits I mentioned in my blogpost. Remember that any company can withdraw from OIN's non-aggression pact at any time. IIRC, there is a cooling off period when they do, but after that period, they are no longer bound by it and can begin patent aggression again even on patents that were covered by the pact. The OIN pact is really a measure of "what's safe today?", and really not "what will be safe tomorrow?".

Microsoft should take next steps to show good faith.

Posted Oct 11, 2018 8:43 UTC (Thu) by abraxis (guest, #34961) [Link] (1 responses)

OK - I've been looking at the OIN agreement - Section 2.2 is about a "Limitation Election" which seems to say that companies can pull out with 30 days notice, and then start hammering other folks for patent stuff again, or am I reading the legalese incorrectly?

Microsoft should take next steps to show good faith.

Posted Oct 11, 2018 23:08 UTC (Thu) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link]

They might get caught by estoppel, but then again they might not ...

Cheers,
Wol

What patent is still valid?

Posted Oct 10, 2018 17:53 UTC (Wed) by david.a.wheeler (subscriber, #72896) [Link] (1 responses)

That seems like a fair request, but what patent is still legally valid in what jurisdiction(s)? (I don't think the patent should have been granted in the first place, but you know what I mean.)

What patent is still valid?

Posted Oct 10, 2018 20:44 UTC (Wed) by armijn (subscriber, #3653) [Link]

FAT != exFAT


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