IO Data Licenses Microsoft's "Linux Patents"

eldavojohn writes "The Japanese computer manuracturer IO Data is the latest in line to license Microsoft's so-called 'Linux patents,' following the likes of Novell, Samsung, and Amazon. Yes, even the press releases use the word 'Linux' to describe these patents. From the press release: 'Specifically, the patent covenants apply to I-O Data's network-attached storage devices and its routers, which run Linux. Although the details of the agreement have not been disclosed, the parties indicated that Microsoft is being compensated by I-O Data.'"

Comments

North Korea

[MrEricSir]

I bet Kim Jung Il didn't license those "Linux patents" from Microsoft when he rolled out Red Star. Is that grounds for attacking North Korea?

Re:North Korea

[Ltap]

Maybe it's a job for the Microsoft ninjas.

Re:North Korea

[ShieldW0lf]

From looking at their website, you would be led to believe that all they do is sell hard drives to consumers and set top boxes to cable companies. So, if you refuse to buy external hard drives with the model numbers:

HDC-UXW250, HDC-UXW320, HDC-UXW400, HDC-UXW500, HDL-GXW250, HDL-GXW320, HDL-GXW400, HDL-GXW500

That should allow you to reward them appropriately.

Is there anything else they sell? From reading their presidents statement, they seem to go in and out of the business of making X over and over again and partner up with a series of corporate boyfriends because they don't have the talent to make things in house. Not someone whose institution I'd want to fund...

Free money.

[Spewns]

I wish I could run a scam as good as Microsoft's.

Re:Free money.

[pieterh]

Most likely Microsoft is paying friendly companies, as it paid Novell. The goal is to establish credibility for its "Linux patents" so that it can then attack its real enemies and convince a judge that since many other firms licensed these patents, they are valid. It's a fairly standard way of working.

The targets of these patents are most likely (a) Google, (b) Red Hat, and (c) large firms who are migrating their data centers to Linux. "Nice data center you have here, guv. Shame if something nasty, like errr... patents... were to 'appen to it. Can I interest you in this 'ere patent license? Only a thousand quid a day, guv!"

Soprano style

[Neil Watson]

I might be holding a club behind my back. Should I choose to begin swinging this club, which I may or may not have, I can guarantee that I will not strike you with it, for a small fee.

Re:Soprano style

[freedumb2000]

I think that is called "racketeering".

Re:Soprano style

[Anonymous Coward]

This is the year 2010. Now its called "licensing".

Re:Soprano style

[Archangel Michael]

Microsoft may or may not be entitled to the money. If they hold the patents, and are NOT enforcing the patents nor disclosing the infringing products, even though it has all the evidence it needs (source code to all things OSS), then it is "Extorting" because it is NOT entitled to the money.

It would be, if it disclosed what products were in fact infringing, and took remedial action. Because it hasn't it is only making veiled threats.

Microsoft is...

[alexborges]

A mean bunch of bastards for claiming patents and not disclosing any kind of infringement. But the ones that buy into the scam, man, those are PLAIN IDIOTS.

Re:Microsoft is...

[wizardforce]

But the ones that buy into the scam, man, those are PLAIN IDIOTS.

They probably figured that it would cost more time and money fighting these patent claims by MS than it would licensing bogus patents. If that's true, then it is clear that our patent system ought to be done away with entirely.

Re:Microsoft is...

[ravenscar]

I agree. We haven't seen just what compensation was involved. If it was slight, buying off MSFT was surely less expensive than fighting off an army of their attorneys. MSFT's strategy here seems interesting. They realize getting other companies to license their Linux patents is likely to strengthen their claim to the patents. Knowing this they pushed in that direction. They were able to get some of the early licensees to do so by offering what seemed like mutually beneficial terms (like patent sharing). My guess is that as more the terms will be similar for a while - giving MSFT a large group of patent licensees. Getting a license will then become more costly. the first group that MSFT doesn't like that also refuses to license the patents will be taken to court. MSFT will then flaunt all of the other licensees before the jury stating "Amazon, and others all recognized our patent. What makes [variable] so special?"

Why is the Linux community so quiet?

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't understand why the Linux developers are so quiet about this. Microsoft is building up a huge amount of momentum around the idea that Linux violates some arbitrary patents, and not a single Linux developer or company appears willing to call them out on it. Bizarre.

Re:Why is the Linux community so quiet?

[dwiget001]

Well, the momentum is in anticipation of a ruling from the Supremes (SCOTUS) "In re Bilski" related to software patents. If the ruling goes the way I think it will, business method and software patents will be decimated, the USPTO will have to revisit and probably many many such patents they have so stupidly granted.

Any word on what patents?

[JSBiff]

I love how none of these articles include any info on which patents were licensed. If Microsoft has patents which cover algorithms in Linux, then there should be a list of patents numbers they can point to to say which patents are being covered in these License Agreements.

You know, back when Microsoft sued Tom-Tom, it came out that the patents in question covered certain features of the VFAT filesystem. I don't think that patent would affect Network Attached Storage. After all, if you're using Samba NFS, FTP or HTTP to access the files, it doesn't matter what filesystem is used on the NAS device. One would presume such a device would be using Ext3, Ext4, or maybe XFS or something.

Which makes me wonder, is Microsoft asserting patents which cover Samba, perhaps? The Linux kernel itself, even if you don't compile VFAT support into the kernel (or use the patched version which supposedly avoids the MS VFAT patents by removing some functionality)?

Sure seems that this is all a marketing driven FUD campaign, since no one is talking about what patents are in play here. If they have patents, they should come out and tell the Linux developers and the world which patents supposedly are infringing. If they won't tell anyone, then the courts should just put a stop to this crap - it's my understanding that there is a principle of law in many countries, including the U.S., where if you know someone is infringing your patent or copyright, and you don't take action to prevent further damages, you can't get the court to award you those damages. That is, you aren't allowed to 'run up the bill' by continuing to allow infringement to happen, just so you can sue for more money later?

Ninjas? Plural?

[spun]

You actually recommend using more than one ninja? Do you not understand the Inverse Ninja Law? It's pretty simple. Watch any martial arts film. A single ninja, by himself, will kick the ass of anyone less than Chuck Norris. However, a group of ninjas will always be defeated. There is a conservation of Ninjutsu at work, the more ninjas, the less power each of them have. If you want the job done right, send only one ninja.

Re:Ninjas? Plural?

[Duhavid]

What if I send half a ninja? Will that half be even more powerful than one ninja?

Re:Ninjas? Plural?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, children ninjas always escape unharmed and finishing their goal after a long, yet comic battle with the minions of evil.

Re:Ninjas? Plural?

[Dorkmaster Flek]

You could try to send no ninja, but you'd get a divide by zero error when calculating the Inverse Ninja Law.

Re:It's t use Windows 7 API on sensors

[tomhudson]

Only Microsoft claimed that the deal covered Microsoft-patented junk in linux. It was a cross-licensing deal that Microsoft paid Novell almost half a billion dollars - in other words, it was pretty much Microsoft who needed patent coverage of certain Novell technologies.

IO Data has gotten into trouble before

[Kagato]

IO Data is a big name in Japan. They sell a lot of Computer and AV devices. In the US they aren't that big anymore. IO data was a pioneer in the Network Equipped Up-Converting DVD player. Not only could it play UPnP file sources, it could output them up to 1080i.

That's when they ran into trouble. Their HD player had nice Analog Component outputs to upconvert DVDs. That got them in trouble with license holders for DVD. Which wouldn't have happened except they started expanding in US, and then the guys at the MPAA started taking interest. I think they are a bit gun shy after that. So I can understand folding to Microsoft.