Microsoft and the parent company of Buffalo and Buffalo Group, Melco Holdings, have entered into an agreement that will provide Melco Group’s customers with patent coverage for their use of technologies running Linux and other related open source software.
The companies claimed that the patent covenants apply to Buffalo-branded Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and Buffalo-branded routers, which run Linux. Although the contents of the agreement have not been disclosed, the parties indicate that the only financial consideration in this agreement is royalties paid by Melco Group to Microsoft.
David Kaefer, general manager of intellectual property and licensing at Microsoft, said: “Many companies have entered similar agreements with Microsoft covering their Linux-based offerings, something that is a reflection of both Microsoft’s decades-long commitment to R&D in the operating system space and the high-quality patent portfolio we’ve developed through our R&D efforts.”
Buffalo manufactures and distributes NAS and router devices, such as LinkStation and AirStation. The company is also a global partner of Microsoft, manufacturing Windows-certified PC peripherals.
Hajime Nakai, director and member of the board at Buffalo, said: “While we plan to increasingly adopt Windows Storage Server for our NAS business, we also wanted to ensure that our open source and Linux-embedded devices had the appropriate IP protections.
By collaborating with Microsoft on a practical business solution, we are able to provide our customers with the appropriate IP coverage, while also maintaining full compliance with our obligations under the GPLv2.”
Since Microsoft launched its IP licensing programme in December 2003, the company has entered into more than 500 agreements. In recent years, Microsoft has entered into patent agreements with other companies – that use Linux for their embedded devices – including LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Fuji Xerox, Kyocera Mita, TomTom International, and Brother International.
