Microsoft to charge for FAT technology

[aem4162]

from dp review, Dec 4, 2003

Microsoft will soon be charging manufacturers of flash memory card devices and those which use them $0.25 per unit or up to $250,000 to use the FAT filesystem. For those who are unaware the FAT file system was developed by Microsoft back in 1976 and has become the standard file system for all digital still cameras. Microsoft owns patents to the FAT File System but for many years hasn't even hinted that it may one day decide to charge for it. These new licenses appear to come into effect immediately and specifically make mention of 'compact flash memory cards' and 'portable digital still cameras'. What a great way for Microsoft to cash in on the most popular consumer products (as if they don't make enough money already).

[Japlabot]

time to change to a linux fs such as Reiser FS ;)

(dont worry, im sure new cf drivers would be able to convert the files to FAT/FAT32/NTFS when being transferred to the PC)

[Southern Patriot]

I could understand M$ charging the camera manufacturers a fee, but charging the memory card manufacturers a fee is equivalent to charging floppy disk manufacturers the same kind of fee. The memory cards can be formatted in any format (I've formatted one HFS, and even NTFS before), but it is the CAMERA that is doing the formatting. If M$ chooses to do this, the simplest thing for card manufacturers to do is to simply ship the cards unformatted. Most cameras will offer to format them the first time they are inserted.

[Keito]

another act of MS that proves that they don't care about us :)

[Gary_Player]

My MuVo uses Fat16, its gonna be like that Dell LCD thing was, they'll send me a bill afterwards...except this time for only 25c :D

[snippet1]

I sent an email to them asking for one licence and asking how to pay my 25c! :happy: :p

[Bizkit]

Man, sometimes Microsoft does some stupid ****. This is an example.

[MegaManXcalibur]

Here is a list of step Microsoft likes to use to make easy money....

1. Release something useful for the general public to use

2. Allow people to use this technology for free without any strings attached

3. Wait for this item to become an industry standard

4. Now attach some strings and make everybody pay money you for the use of this now industry standard technology

5. Watch the money roll in, or watch the industry standard switch

See how easy that is :D

[Hypercube]

But in the end, it is their technology with no standing agreements on their actions.

[MegaManXcalibur]

Your completly right on that. It's Microsoft's technology they may do as they wish with it, I just wanted to point out their great money making idea.

[STV]

Why do you have a problem with this. come on, they could charge more for the use of their patented technology. Stop crying over nothing, it is only $0.25 per unit. Stop criticizing them all the time.

STV

[WigglesTheFish]

i don't see the big deal.. first it is microsoft's technology to do with as they please... second, like stv said, it is only $0.25 per unit... *shrugs* then again, i do not own any of the affected pieces of equipment or the companies...

[Rudy]

i think its a great move for them

[Japlabot]

it's like GIF images before that expired

and in fact i don't think that MS have any claim on this 'FAT' technology because their 'FAT' technology was a filesystem that worked on hard drives, this is an implementation that resembles the same method of transfer as FAT, but because it's on flash memory, it physically is different

[STV]

I own the following products that use the FAT file system technology:

- Lexar Media SD Card (64MB)

- SanDisk Cruzer Drive (128MB)

- SanDisk SD Card (256MB)

- FujiFilm FinePix A303 Camera (w/ 16MB xD-Picture Card)

I am not sure as to whether these products apply, but I would not mind paying the extra fee.

Please correct me if I am wrong, and also list any other products that might be affected.

[CrimsonBlur]

Yeah, and the cap on this is $250,000 from what the post says. I don't really know that for sure, or if that is out of context, but usually there is a max cap so you don't have to pay like a billion dollars just because you mass produce products. $250,000 is nothing to these companies that manufacture the hardware.

[CrimsonBlur]

it's like GIF images before that expired

and in fact i don't think that MS have any claim on this 'FAT' technology because their 'FAT' technology was a filesystem that worked on hard drives, this is an implementation that resembles the same method of transfer as FAT, but because it's on flash memory, it physically is different

a file system is a file system is a file system. It doesn't matter what media it is on, it's formatted the same way with FAT. That's why you can't read a disk or disc formatted for HFS in Windows. You can make your OS convert the information if you want, but that's a different story.