TomTom Fires Back in Microsoft Patent War
Navigation software maker TomTom is now beating its drums against Microsoft for patent rights and has aligned with the Open Invention Network.
Responding to Microsoft's allegation that TomTom violated eight of its patents (see also), the Dutch manufacturer of navigation software is now fighting back. March 16 TomTom filed a patent infringement countersuit in Virginia federal court and also joined the Open Invention Network (OIN) to get a thicker shield against Microsoft.
OIN, to which also Google, IBM, Red Hat, Sony and Novell subscribe among other firms, is committed to rapid software innovation and "a refined model of intellectual property management" that safeguards open source rights. It does this by acquiring software patents and awarding them to individuals with the condition that they not claim against Linux or any of its associated firms. OIN also cooperates with Linux Defenders and the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC).
TomTom is now in a proper defensive position with its portfolio of patents and the legal support at its back. It claims that Microsoft violates four of its patents with its Streets and Trips product. Even though Microsoft general counsel Horacio Gutierrez emphasizes that the earlier MS lawsuit against TomTom is not against Linux in general, a successful outcome could negatively impact its Linux rivals.
Whether Microsoft's patents have any validity is something OIN will have to work out. The project is searching for prior art to determine if earlier patent algorithms had already existed before the patents were filed. The Microsoft-TomTom battle continues.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you've found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Zorin OS 17 Beta Available for Testing
The upcoming version of Zorin OS includes plenty of improvements to take your PC to a whole new level of user-friendliness.
-
Red Hat Migrates RHEL from Xorg to Wayland
If you've been wondering when Xorg will finally be a thing of the past, wonder no more, as Red Hat has made it clear.
-
PipeWire 1.0 Officially Released
PipeWire was created to take the place of the oft-troubled PulseAudio and has finally reached the 1.0 status as a major update with plenty of improvements and the usual bug fixes.
-
Rocky Linux 9.3 Available for Download
The latest version of the RHEL alternative is now available and brings back cloud and container images for ppc64le along with plenty of new features and fixes.
-
Ubuntu Budgie Shifts How to Tackle Wayland
Ubuntu Budgie has yet to make the switch to Wayland but with a change in approaches, they're finally on track to making it happen.
-
TUXEDO's New Ultraportable Linux Workstation Released
The TUXEDO Pulse 14 blends portability with power, thanks to the AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS CPU.
-
AlmaLinux Will No Longer Be "Just Another RHEL Clone"
With the release of AlmaLinux 9.3, the distribution will be built entirely from upstream sources.
-
elementary OS 8 Has a Big Surprise in Store
When elementary OS 8 finally arrives, it will not only be based on Ubuntu 24.04 but it will also default to Wayland for better performance and security.
-
OpenELA Releases Enterprise Linux Source Code
With Red Hat restricting the source for RHEL, it was only a matter of time before those who depended on that source struck out on their own.
-
StripedFly Malware Hiding in Plain Sight as a Cryptocurrency Miner
A rather deceptive piece of malware has infected 1 million Windows and Linux hosts since 2017.