Microsoft-TomTom settlement is end of a battle, not the war

Apr 01, 2009, 17:31 (0 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols)

[ Thanks to Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for this link. ]

"The lawsuits rose above the ordinary run of patent litigation because three of Microsoft's patents touched on areas that are also covered by the open-source General Public License Version 2 (GPLv2) copyright restrictions on Linux. Thus, the lawsuit marked the first time that Microsoft had legally challenged Linux's intellectual property.

"The case further heated up when TomTom countersued Microsoft and joined the Open Invention Network (OIN), an open-source patent protection group. But the case came to an abrupt end on March 30.

"In return for an undisclosed licensing fee, TomTom can use Microsoft's patents. However, according to a statement from Peter Spours, TomTom's director of IP Strategy and Transactions, the agreement "is drafted in a way that ensures TomTom's full compliance with its obligations under the GPLv2, and thus reaffirms our commitment to the open-source community."

Complete Story

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• On the TomTom settlement: Microsoft Rolls Back its "Open" Promises(Apr 01, 2009)
• Bruce Perens: Microsoft and TomTom Settle, Justice and Linux Lose(Apr 01, 2009)
• TomTom & Microsoft Settle..."ensures TomTom's full compliance...under the GPLv2"(Mar 31, 2009)
• Bad News: Microsoft Gets its Way with TomTom(Mar 31, 2009)
• Microsoft: Judge us by our deeds on open source(Mar 28, 2009)
• Third time is the charm?(Mar 26, 2009)
• Microsoft not feeling TomTom Linux patent chill?(Mar 26, 2009)
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