Ads by TechWords

See your link here
Receive the latest technology news and information.
Security
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
Cloud Computing
View all newsletters




Privacy Policy
 

News Analysis: Microsoft goes after TomTom -- and Linux

The Linux community has a message to Microsoft: Back off

February 27, 2009 12:00 PM ET

Active Comments
Mike (too) says: IANAL, but the term "Precedence" springs into mind. All popular linux distros can read/write FAT32 partitions -- one of the...
Ryan says: www.krsaborio.net - Site With multiple legal articles regarding Linux and open source notice article , notice www.krsaborio.net/research/2000s/06/0110.htm with claims upholding...


Computerworld - Microsoft Corp.'s decision to sue TomTom International BV -- and in the process take on Linux -- isn't likely to affect your use of Linux. As of now, that's the consensus among experts.

But if Microsoft wants a fight -- oh boy, is the open-source community ready for it.

First, it should be noted that Microsoft is claiming its lawsuit, made public this week, isn't really about Linux or open source. Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's corporate vice president and deputy general counsel of intellectual property and licensing, said that while "three of the infringed patents implicate open-source code ... open-source software is not the focal point of this action."

Nonetheless, Andrew Updegrove, a partner at Boston law firm Gesmer Updegrove LLP is concerned that Microsoft has been getting more aggressive about approaching companies and their use of Linux. "I've received e-mail in the past from people that Microsoft has approached, alleging Linux infringement and saying 'You better get a license from us, or else,'" Updegrove said.

On the other hand, moving aggressively against Linux "doesn't make sense to me, because I can't think of any reason why they should move now and several reasons why they should not: the [European Union] is still on their tail regarding browsers (and Gooble [sic] just joined in against them), and there's a new administration in town in Washington -- why test them at this point in time, rather than lie low and watch for awhile and see whether antitrust enforcement is back in town?"

Updegrove isn't the only one who's puzzled by Microsoft's move. Eben Moglen, a Columbia University law professor and co-author of the primary open-source license -- the General Public License, Version 3 (GPLv3), called it "a little mystifying. The FAT (File Allocation Table) patents aren't the strongest ammo in anyone's gun. This will do harm to their free-software co-existence process, which has had some viability. This will harm Microsoft credibility with free software.

"My job is to keep the community safe from aggression," Moglen said. "We need peace and that implies co-existence."

And if Microsoft wants to make a fight of it? "I'm sure that all free software parties, both community and corporate, will join together to formulate a measured, united response," added Moglen.

That's exactly what the Linux Foundation and the Open Invention Network seem to be doing. Jim Zemlin, the Linux Foundation's executive director, wrote in a public blog: "Right now, the Microsoft claim against TomTom is a private dispute between those two entities concerning GPS mapping software. We do not feel assumptions should be made about the scope or facts of this case and its inclusion, if any, of Linux-related technology."



Jump to comments

Microsoft

Additional Resources

EFD vs. HDD - What You Need to Know
WHITE PAPER
Enterprise flash drives provide a new Tier 0 storage layer capable of delivering high I/O performance at a very low latency. Proper use of EFDs in an Oracle environment can deliver increased performance compared to fibre channel drives. Read the recommendations for identification of the best DB components for EFDs.
Gartner Research Report: Magic Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers, 2009
WHITE PAPER
The market for products to improve the delivery of application software over networks remains dynamic and innovative. Vendors focused on solving enterprises' most-pressing application problems have become the top players.
Eight Criteria for Server Load Balancing
WHITE PAPER
Server load balancers are a simple yet highly effective means to scale an application environment while ensuring its availability. Today's solutions should also address application performance and security. Read about the top eight criteria you should consider when choosing a server load balancer and how Citrix NetScaler meets those requirements.

What People Are Saying

White Papers & Webcasts

e-Book: The Shortcut Guide to Business Security Measures Using SSL
This 45-page e-Book gives you the tools you need to detect security vulnerabilities, build an information security strategy, and plan your investment in...  

10 things you really wished you had known about PDF Security, but they didn't tell you!
Access this resource, compliments of LockLizard, for a limited time only!  

Information Leakage - the enemy is within
Access this white paper, courtesy of LockLizard, for a limited time only!  

The Workday User Experience Video
Watch Workday's Creative Director, Scott Lietzke, discuss the business-centered design philosophy at Workday.

Adobe Acrobat PDF Security - a brief history of development
Access this resource, compliments of LockLizard, for a limited time only!  

Business Process Framework Demo
Learn about Configurable Business Processes and Calculated Fields. Watch Now!

Manager Experience Demo
Go beyond self-service solutions to perform more effectively. Watch Now.


IT Jobs