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Date:   Tue, 9 Jul 2019 11:30:39 -0400
From:   "Theodore Ts'o" <tytso@mit.edu>
To:     Matthew Wilcox <willy@infradead.org>
Cc:     Valdis =?utf-8?Q?Kl=C4=93tnieks?= <valdis.kletnieks@vt.edu>,
        Alexander Viro <viro@zeniv.linux.org.uk>,
        Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@linuxfoundation.org>,
        linux-fsdevel@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org,
        devel@driverdev.osuosl.org
Subject: Re: Procedure questions - new filesystem driver..
Message-ID: <20190709153039.GA3200@mit.edu>
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On Tue, Jul 09, 2019 at 04:21:36AM -0700, Matthew Wilcox wrote:
> How does
> https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-open-sources-its-entire-patent-portfolio/
> change your personal opinion?

According to SFC's legal analysis, Microsoft joining the OIN doesn't
mean that the eXFAT patents are covered, unless *Microsoft*
contributes the code to the Linux usptream kernel.  That's because the
OIN is governed by the Linux System Definition, and until MS
contributes code which covered by the exFAT patents, it doesn't count.

For more details:

https://sfconservancy.org/blog/2018/oct/10/microsoft-oin-exfat/

(This is not legal advice, and I am not a lawyer.)

						- Ted