As Mary Jo Foley notes, Microsoft
has announced yet another Linux patent-protection deal. We wrote about a similar patent-protection deal between GPS manufacturer Tom Tom and Microsoft
here, following a
very public squabble between the two companies. This time, Melco Holdings, a Japanese company that owns network storage and router player Buffalo Inc. has a deal with Microsoft, that will provide Melco Group?s customers with patent coverage for their use of industry-leading technologies running Linux and other related open source software. These deals are very murky and difficult to get a handle on, especially since the settlements leave no public trail leading to what exactly Microsoft claims ownership of.
