Third time is the charm?

"The first two patents in this list appear to be laughable indeed; it is hard to see how they can pass the obviousness test. This is especially true in light of the KSR v. Teleflex ruling, wherein it was decided (also in the automotive setting) that the idea of connecting a floor pedal to an electronic throttle control was too obvious to patent. The navigation patent would appear to be infringed by anybody who sits in the passenger seat and helps the driver find a destination. The docking station and GUI patents seem less clear, but it doesn't seem like it should be all that hard to find suitable prior art.

"That leaves the final three patents, all of which are relevant to the Linux platform. Like almost every other system on the planet, Linux supports the VFAT filesystem, and, thus, could be argued to infringe upon the relevant patents. The flash patent looks much like the technique used by any system which manages flash memory in anything but the stupidest of ways. It would appear that Microsoft has finally decided to follow through on its longstanding patent threats against Linux."

Complete Story

Related Stories:

• The warning sound of TomTom(Mar 25, 2009)
• Why TomTom is the new SCO (in the nicest possible way)(Mar 23, 2009)
• Now TomTom Sues Microsoft for Patent Infringement -- Guess Who Their Lawyers Are? MoFo!!!(Mar 23, 2009)
• TomTom gets allies in Microsoft Linux patent lawsuit fight(Mar 23, 2009)
• Strike/Counterstrike: TomTom Sues Microsoft(Mar 20, 2009)
• TomTom Sues Microsoft on Patent Infringement(Mar 20, 2009)
• TomTom countersues Microsoft in patent dispute(Mar 20, 2009)