TomTom. Source: Mr ATM on Flickr. License: CC-BY 2.0
TechFlash reports that Microsoft has sued GPS manufacturer TomTom for patent infringement. Some of these patents have to do with TomTom’s implementation of Linux.
Five of the patents in dispute relate to in-car navigation technologies, while the other three involve file-management techniques. Gutierrez said Microsoft has reached licensing agreements with with other in-car navigation vendors over the same patents, and it remains open to “quickly resolving” the TomTom dispute through licensing.
Microsoft has said previously that Linux and other open-source programs violate more than 200 of its patents — elevating the tension that has long existed between Microsoft and the open-source community. Asked if this TomTom case is the start of a broader legal campaign over those alleged violations, Gutierrez said no.
Well, we’ll have to just wait and see.