Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft's Partner Tuxera Tries to Add Patent Tax to Android Through Linux, Intel Plays Along With MeeGo

Penguins in South Africa



Summary: Android and MeeGo the latest targets of 'Microsoft tax' through clone file systems that Tuxera is pushing

The company known as Tuxera signed a deal with Microsoft and then started selling patent licences (fines) to Linux users. Not so long ago it started doing this to Android users too (with exFAT) and now it is doing this with FAT32. From the press release:



Tuxera Inc., the leading provider of Windows-compatible file systems for Android, Linux, Mac and other platforms, announced today the release of a complete, GPL-compliant FAT32 replacement package for Android and Linux. The package combines Tuxera's high-performance, proprietary FAT, FAT32, exFAT and NTFS drivers into easy-to-deploy modules that work with all Android and Linux kernel versions.


Even Intel gets involved in this by joining an alliance that "Integrates NTFS, exFAT, FAT32 and HFS+ Into Intel€® AtomTM Solutions, MeeGo Linux". To quote the press release:

Tuxera, the leading provider of Windows and Mac compatible file systems for Android, Linux and other platforms, announced at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that it has joined Intel Embedded Alliance. Tuxera supports Intel's latest consumer electronics hardware and software initiatives providing the market-leading Tuxera File System Suite including NTFS, exFAT, FAT32 and HFS+ solutions to all Intel customers.


What Tuxera does here helps Microsoft at the expense of Linux and Android. It pushes Microsoft APIs and patents where these are not needed. It is similar to what Likewise -- with indirect Microsoft roots -- has been doing (see our Likewise wiki page>) and currently the company boasts 90,000 customers, which means a big win for Microsoft.

“What Tuxera does here helps Microsoft at the expense of Linux and Android.”Regarding the above news, one reader asked sarcastically: "Why does Microsoft hate your software freedom? Because Microsoft can't survive if you have it.

"Tuxera should be taken with a grain of salt because they were one of the first companies to license exFAT from Microsoft. The bit about forbidding GPL distribution was worth noting for me.

"It's just another case of Microsoft stomping on code they don't own. A company might have made the mistake of licensing Microsoft for one thing. That should not prevent them from ever making a free software friendly device again."

Why is Intel getting involved in it? These are patent traps and MeeGo does not need Windows file systems. Speaking of patents, Intel is being forced to pay NVIDIA $1.5 billion for patents [1, 2] and Tessera gets to collect money from some rival chipmakers, also because of patents

A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted Tessera an important victory in its chip patent dispute with Qualcomm, Spansion, Freescale Semiconductor, ATI Technologies and STMicroelectronics.

[...]

The court's decision serves to uphold both the ITC's finding of infringement as well as its order that the five companies can't import any devices containing the chips. In its ruling, the court noted that the import ban will not disrupt a supply of the chips to the U.S. because Tessera has licensed its technology to a number of other companies.


There is danger that, on the software side, Intel and Nokia (now headed by a former Microsoft president) will lead itself into Microsoft's 'Linux tax' traps.

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

Who Imitates Who? Plagiarist as Client (From Microsoft), 'Plagiarism' at the Law Firm?
let's revisit the subject
EPO's Central Staff Committee (CSC) Scrutinises the Man Who Illegally Grants (and Forces Others to Illegally Participate in Granting) Software Patents in Europe
EPO compels examiners to break the law in the name of obeying illegal "rules" or "orders"
The Latest Rumour Says The Next (as Correctly Predicted Before) Wave of Layoffs at Microsoft is 3 Weeks Away, "Larger Than the First Wave"
Step 2
TV Licensing Used to SPAM Your Postbox, Now It Does the Same to E-mail
First they ask for your E-mail address; then they start nagging you via E-mail
Our Priority is Still Tackling Software Patents and Corruption in Patent Offices
Meanwhile we got compliments on our recent articles, which means that they are effective
Slopwatch: Another Day, Another Slopfest, LLM Slop Scrapers Slow Down Our Site
We too have some slop issues; this past day this site and the sister site had to answer about 2.5 million requests (not counting Gemini Protocol) and it's slowing things down for everybody
 
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part IX: Minimum Wages For You (Experienced Scientist), Alicante/EU Paydays For Me (Unproductive, Corrupt Official)
Does UPRP maladministration extend to the false belief that qualified and experienced scientists can play the role of circus clowns?
"The Liberating Power of Simply Telling People the Truth."
'polite' bullying
EPO's Gareth Lord Asked About "Quality and Productivity" or, Put Another Way, Why the EPO Keeps Granting So Many Invalid/Illegal Patents
letter to Lord
The Toxic Playbook
Either you support Prince Mohammed bin Salman or you're a nazi
It's Possible That BetaNews Got Cracked, But Nobody Talks About It, The Site Contains an Outdated Old Image, No Activity
It's possible that they will never explain what happened to the site and users' accounts
Links 12/06/2025: Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Dies
Links for the day
Gemini Links 12/06/2025: Video Game Diegesis and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Why the Militants Have Lost Every Battle Since 2022 (When Attacking My Wife and I in Various Ways, Even Attacking Our Employers)
This takes patience, sure, but at the end most evildoers face the consequences for their actions
Politics Will Impact Software Choices
Will those systems respect users' freedom?
EPO: Neglecting Children to Promote American Monopolies by Shielding Them From European Competition
Yesterday the Central Staff Committee at the EPO spoke about another "reform" at the Office
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, June 11, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Links 11/06/2025: More Vulnerabilities Found in 'Smart' Phones, China Extends Reach in the Pacific
Links for the day
Gemini Links 11/06/2025: Grain and Steam Next Fest
Links for the day
Links 11/06/2025: "Quantum" Hype From IBM, US Closer to Martial Law, and “The Nation” Celebrates Milestone
Links for the day
IBM's CEO Roasted, Sizzled and Grilled for Dumb and Inconsistent Vapourware Promises
It looks like being a chronic liar is what it takes to lead the company once synonymous with computing
IBM's Goal Is Not (and Never Was) Computer Users' Freedom
More than 1.5 decades ago I found IBM to be an "ally of convenience" because of OpenDocument Format (ODF)
Wayland Shows the IBM/Red Hat Way of Doing Things
IBM is trying to 'kill' X
GitHub is Proprietary, Controlled by Microsoft, and GPL Violation Warehouse
"IRS tax filing software [will be] released to the people as free software" ... In general this is good news
Slopfarm Catastrophe
Seems like BetaNews (or BetaNoise) has just suffered a major data loss and restored the site from a week-old backup
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VIII: Illegal Working Conditions
How many people need to die for these people to get their massive salaries?
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, June 10, 2025
IRC logs for Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Links 10/06/2025: Apple Hype and Physical Attacks on Bloggers
Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/06/2025: Loon Lake, Farming, and Forth
Links for the day
Links 10/06/2025: Jaws at 50 and US Democracy Crushed Very Rapidly (Martial Law Seems Imminent)
Links for the day
Abuse Inside the Polish Patent Office (UPRP) - Part VII: Washing Their Hands After Corruption and Abuse
"Tragedy or comedy?"
Culling Bad RSS Feeds of Bad Sites
Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater
If 'Microsoft v Techrights' is Dealt With by a 'Microsoft Court' (or a Court Outsourced to Microsoft)
More on that later
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, June 09, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, June 09, 2025
Gemini Protocol Turns Six in 10 Days From Now
If you haven't tried it yet, then give it a go today
Live as You Preach
technology is fast becoming dysphoric