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Date:	Fri, 5 Dec 2003 19:31:13 PST8
From:	Peter Skye <pskye@peterskye.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
To:	scoug-help@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Help: M$ is willing to let others use FAT file system for a "reasonable" fee.

Content Type: text/plain

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Ray Davison wrote:
>
> Apparently M$ owns the FAT file system and is
> willing to let others use it for a "reasonable" fee.
>
> http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/ip/tech/fat.asp
>
> Is this anything new and what are the implications?

I just read the four patents cited in the above link. They concern the
method of using both a "short" (8.3) filename plus a "long" filename in
the filename directory structure. Using two different names for the
same file is their "invention" which they want to license for a fee.

To read the patents:

-- 1. Go to http://www.uspto.gov/patft/

-- 2. Click on Patent Number Search

-- 3. Enter the patent number you want to read.

Here are the patents again so you don't have to hurt your eyes looking
at the Microsoft web page. I copied the year and title directly from
the patents. The year is when the patent was finally issued, not when
the patent was applied for:

5,579,517 (1996) - Common name space for long and short filenames

5,745,902 (1998) - Method and system for accessing a file using file
names having different file name formats

5,758,352 (1998) - Common name space for long and short filenames

6,286,013 (2001) - Method and system for providing a common name space
for long and short file names in an operating system

There are hundreds of different file systems.

- Peter

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