Mixed Signals
Any sufficiently advanced information is indistinguishable from noise
Thursday 5 March 2009, 4:43 PM
Microsoft's secret plan behind the TomTom suit?
You must read the whole thing yourself - but in brief, he says that Microsoft has been putting all its IP deals under NDA because the cross-licensing of patents is disallowed under Section 7 of GPL 2. Thus, anyone who signs is disallowed from distributing any of the Linux kernel - so Microsoft has them over a barrel.
This explains the secrecy behind all the deals - which, lest we forget, Microsoft is promoting as examples of open sharing - and is building up to a situation where Microsoft can detonate a huge improvised explosive device under Linux.
What might save things is if TomTom prevails, negating the relevant patents - and there are good reasons to think it would, if it can afford to fight. If it can't afford to fight, then things get just that little nastier. As Allison says:
"Tom Tom are the first company to publicly refuse to engage in this ugly little protection racket, and so they got sued. Had Tom Tom silently agreed to violate the GPL, as so many others have, then we'd only hear about a vague "patent cross licensing deal" just like the ones Microsoft announces with other companies.
Make no mistake, this is intended to force Tom Tom to violate the GPL, or change to Microsoft embedded software."
PreviousComments on this post
It is indeed surprising that Microshaft's secret dealings have not been leaked before.
I, for one, do not like Microshaft's duplicity and double dealing and do not want to be 'owned' by them. Neither do I want to live in a constant state of suspicion, thinking or fearing the worst of people, all the time. Unfortunately .........
Time to remove Windows 7 which had been growing on me, and to think that I had been planning another positive post.
Separately, we are reading that the EU have decided that they can relax their supervision of said Microshaft when, without this belated revelation, they still seem to be using (abusing) their dominant monopoly to extend dependence on their products.
Correct me if I'm wrong, if this latest revelation is true, then Microshaft may have deal a damaging blow to the GPL.
Tom Tom are not well placed financially to defend this action. Notwithstanding that they are not a community player, they are going to need some considerable assistance if they are not going to cave in. Groklaw to the rescue!
By the way, where are Red Hat placed following their recently reported secret deal.
I've said it before, in many contexts, and I'll say it again. I would like to leave a decent world to my children and grand children. Without being too pessimistic, that seems to be rather optimistic.
How sad for a company like MS to sink so low to get rid of competition. But, you have to agree, they have done so many dirty deals before and not owned up till caught red handed. One day they will get their just reward.
@ator
Market Cap at 135 billion and falling, yep, I'd say that reward is coming.
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