More than 200 patents infringed by free software, says Microsoft
Microsoft adds up how many patents it claims free and open-source software infringes.


Software giant Microsoft claims free and open-source software (FOSS) infringes on 235 of the company's patents - the first time the company has put a precise figure on the alleged theft.
Microsoft has long claimed that FOSS violates many of its patents, but has never produced any detailed evidence. Now, in an interview with Fortune mazgine, the company's licensing chief, Horacio Gutierrez, claims it has identified 235 instances of patent infringement.
Gutierrez claims the "breathtaking number" of patents involved means the infringement must have been deliberate. "This is not a case of some accidental, unknowing infringement," utierrez told Fortune.
"here is an overwhelming number of patents being infringed."
How Microsoft decides to pursue the alleged infringement is, of course, the big question.
With companies and partners such as IBM, Philips and NEC heavily involved with the open-source movement, any litigation could create huge problems for the software giant.
However, speaking at the time Microsoft announced its controversial alliance with Novell, the company's chief executive Steve Ballmer declared: "I do think it clearly establishes that open source is not free and open source will have to respect intellectual property rights of others just as any other competitor will."
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Barry Collins is an experienced IT journalist who specialises in Windows, Mac, broadband and more. He's a former editor of PC Pro magazine, and has contributed to many national newspapers, magazines and websites in a career that has spanned over 20 years. You may have seen Barry as a tech pundit on television and radio, including BBC Newsnight, the Chris Evans Show and ITN News at Ten.
-
Cloudflare is cracking down on AI web scrapers
News Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said AI companies have been "scraping content without limits" - now the company is cracking down.
-
Swiss government data published following supply chain attack – here’s what we know about the culprits
News Radix, a non-profit organization in the health promotion sector, supplies a number of federal offices, whose data has apparently been accessed.