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PUBPAT Challenges Microsoft's FAT Patent
An anonymous reader writes "The Public Patent Foundation filed a formal request with the United States Patent and Trademark Office today to revoke Microsoft Corporation's patent on the FAT File System, touted by Microsoft as being 'the ubiquitous format used for interchange of media between computers, and, since the advent of inexpensive, removable flash memory, also between digital devices.' In its filing, PUBPAT submitted previously unseen prior art showing the patent, which issued in November 1996 and is not otherwise due to expire until 2013, was obvious and, as such, should have never been granted."
I for one am sick of this patenting frenzy. What will they do when there is nothing left to patent? ...oh, hold on, i know - they'll start suing.
Microsoft has annouced it's purchase of United States Patent and Trademark Office.....SCO has been issued a patent for unix....the RIAA has been issued a patent for sound .....the MPAA has been issued a patent for light.....
The ubiquitous format for exchanging mediums between computers? What about CD-ROMS? *coughISO-9960cough*
It can't be a MS format, otherwise all my Microsoft-approved CDs from 10+ years ago wouldn't work in my new Microsoft CD-ROM drive with my Microsoft operating system.
I'm not too up on Windows but isn't FAT depricated?
IIRC it's all about NTFS these days and FAT is mainly used for dual-boot linux situations or where you need backward compatabilty. So if correct, this dispute shouldn't be monumental, but still interesting. Good to see some one's out there trying to kill off as many bogus patents as possible, though I'm sure no one envies that job.
Also I'm still surprised no ones show up with archaeological evidence showing that Windows was first used in earthen hovels eons ago.
Microsoft's patent on SUGAR and PROTEIN also being reviewed after a mysterious figure known only as 'god' claimed to invent them...
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living."
- Seneca
Well, there was this guy named Einstein, ever heard of him? ;)
Einstein: What is it you would like to patent? ... *ruffles through the pages, knocks Smith unconscious, and runs off with the papers*
Smith: I call it Smith's Theory of Relativity.
Einstein:
Nyo nyo, the Neko Boy has spoken.
Was not FAT12 (DOS 2.0) not actually an extension of the CP/M file system?
So you're saying MS grew FAT on other people's work?
Remember, MS Cortislim isn't for everyone - only those who want to lose 10, 20, 30 megs of data or more should use MS Cortislim.
Call now and you'll receive an extra 1 month license for every 2 months you purchase!
Rather the method of storing short and long file names in the FAT file system.
I.e. they're patenting a work around for a stupid shortcoming, for which the only reason nobody else was doing it was that they designed their systems to be more flexible in the first place?
1) design inflexible system
2) patent bandaid
3) profit
I think I've discovered the underpants gnomes' secret business model - patent bandaids. Unfortunately the ubiquitous triple questionmark logo is prior art.
*sigh*
"...if you're a scum sucking pond scum who's standing on the shoulders of the giants before you and setting up a toll gate to stop those who really are innovating then you bloody well deserve what you get."
rich?
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
Microsoft's FAT patent?
I didn't know Microsoft patented Ballmer.