Buffalo Gear Maker Pays Microsoft for Linux Patent Immunity

Melco Group, the makers of Buffalo-branded networking gear, has paid Microsoft an undisclosed amount for patent immunity for NAS devices and routers running Linux.

In another move that shows how Microsoft is working to turn the screws on the Linux community, the Melco Group—parent company of Buffalo Inc. and the Buffalo Group—has entered into a deal with Microsoft to get indemnity for itself and its customers from claims its network-attached storage devices and routers may infringe on Microsoft patents. Under the deal, Melco is paying Microsoft an undisclosed amount, and Microsoft agrees not to sue Melco or its customers for infringing on selected Microsoft patents.

Microsoft does not specify which patents are at issue, but the company has claimed for years that portions of the open source Linux operating system infringe on its patents; in recent months, Microsoft has been ratcheting up pressure on vendors, urging them to enter into indemnity agreements with Microsoft to protect them in the event Microsoft ever decides to pursue legal action against Linux, companies producing Linux-based products, or even companies using Linux.

“We are pleased to reach this agreement with Melco Group,” said Microsoft’s general manager of intellectual property and licensing David Kaefer, in a statement. “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.”

The Linux community has consistently asserted that its operating system does not violate any patents, and has publicly (and repeatedly) challenged Microsoft to identify which patents it believes Linux infringes upon. To date, Microsoft has not made any specific infringement claims.