Microsoft claim shakes graphics world

Thanks AaronXP, and Timan for the heads up on this one. OpenGL, a widely used cross-platform graphics standard, may be subject to more restrictive licensing following recent claims by Microsoft that it owns patents to technology critical to the specification.

While it is as yet unclear how Microsoft intends to pursue its claims, the matter underscores the increasing difficulty of creating high-tech industry standards of all kinds, particularly those that are intended to be widely available and royalty-free. The issue is particularly relevant in Europe, which is debating whether to make software more broadly patentable, as is the case in the United States.

Microsoft's intellectual property (IP) claims first emerged back in March, when the company said that it had "possible claims" on a technology called vertex programming, which gives developers more control over 3D effects such as lighting. The claims caused some consternation within the OpenGL Architectural Review Board (ARB), which governs the specification.

Microsoft clarified its claims somewhat at this month's quarterly ARB meeting, according to the meeting's minutes, but its proposals still appear likely to throw a wrench in the works of OpenGL, according to legal experts. At the July meeting, Microsoft also added that it may have claims to a technology called fragment shading.

News source: ZDNet - Microsoft claim shakes graphics world