After 2 years of examination the U.S Patent and Trademark Office has reversed its two earlier unofficial decisions and decided that Microsoft's File Allocation Table file system constitutes a "novel and non-obvious" system enabling it to be patented. This coupled with Microsofts plans to charge licensing fees for use of the system could cause many problems for open-source operating systems that implement the file system, or even to mp3 players. Elsewhere, APCMag.com has an interview with Microsoft's "open source point man" Martin Gregory.
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Member since:2006-01-01
Member since:2005-10-02
Any device can be described using math, but the description is irrelevant.
A software patent is a patent on an algorithm.
A hardware patent is a patent on physical device. The mathematical description is irrelevant since we are patenting the hardware and not the algorithm describing it.
The description is not patented.
Member since:2006-01-06
Member since:2005-07-06
1. I don't live in the US.
2. The war is all about oil, but if you ask many Americans, they'll swear that Iraq was the attacked on 9/11.
The patent is for the specifications and design of the FAT file system, and probably the official Microsoft code for it. They have as much right to patent FAT as a car manufacturer does some specific type of combustion engine enhancement.
Member since:2005-10-02
1) Lucky you :p
2) And I'll say the opposite.
Software is algorithms and math cannot be patented. There FAT cannot be patented. FAT is nothing but algorithms.
I'm so happy I live in Denmark. We aren't encumbered with software patents (that's why I legally can use FreeType2 with BCI enabled).
Software patents are a crime against humanity. If you think otherwise then please pay me, and I'll give you a license for use of my patented add-algorithm.
2+2=4 and it's my invention. Though of it my self. Please pay me 100000000€ and put them on an account in Nigeria.
Member since:
2005-10-02
They have the right to it in USA, because your system is so f--king screwed up. You can patent math!?
It's so silly you have to be one of the "The war is all about oil and nothing else"-antiwar hippies to see any logic in patenting math.