Can FAT patch avoid Microsoft lawsuits?

Andrew Tridgell has published a patch that could make the Linux implementation of the FAT filesystem impervious to Microsoft patent claims of the kind that forced a settlement from TomTom. The patch alters the VFAT code so that it does not generate both short and long filenames, says Tridgell. The Microsoft FAT patent claims lay at the heart of its lawsuit against Dutch personal navigation device (PND) vendor TomTom earlier this year, which resulted in a TomTom settlement in late March. The settlement included an agreement to remove the FAT code from Linux-based products such as the Go 940 Live PND (pictured at right). The Tridgell patch, which was published on LKML.org, attempts to configure the Linux VFAT implementation so that it works around Microsoft's patent language. The patent describes how to implement a "common name... [read full story]                    

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