A quick glance at TomTom’s response to Microsoft’s lawsuit that jeopardises the GPL and Linux

I'm getting a lot of email about Microsoft suing TomTom for alleged patent infringement, first reported by Todd Bishop on TechFlash. I've put lots of links in NewsPicks for you, and here are the two complaints, the regular complaint filed in federal court and the ITC complaint [PDFs]. I'll restrict myself for now to two quick words: Think Bilski

Microsoft owns FAT32, but it didn’t appear to pursue its rights. Until the TomTom case. At which point Jeremy Allison of Samba says Microsoft had secret cross-licensing deals with all those other guys which violate the GPL. So who should Software Freedom sue?

Cars. Microsoft sees cars as the next frontier for computing. If GPS can remain proprietary open source will lack the enabling technology with which to get into the game.

Microsoft filed suit against TomTom today, alleging that the in-car navigation company's devices violate eight of its patents -- including three that relate to TomTom's implementation of the Linux kernel.

The Software Freedom Law Center last month released a guide to help businesses avoid compliance issues with the GPL and LGPL, "Practical Guide to GPL Compliance". The purpose of the guide is to help businesses avoid litigation over the GPL.

RMS: «A professor is suing students for publishing their class notes. The term "intellectual property" used by the professor's lawyers is a term of confusion and intimidation.»

In a blow to Microsoft Corp., a federal judge granted class-action status to a lawsuit late Friday alleging that Microsoft unjustly enriched itself by promoting PCs as "Windows Vista Capable" even when they could only run a bare-bones version of the operating system, called "Vista Home Basic."