TomTom is launching OpenLR™ as royalty-free technology and open Industry Standard, and it invites the ITS Industry to join and adopt it. This step will facilitate new business opportunities in various areas of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) such as traffic information services, map content exchange and Cooperative Systems where precise and compact dynamic location information is needed.

When Microsoft first sued TomTom for patent violations in TomTom's Linux-powered navigation devices, I wasn't sure how much of a fight TomTom would put up. Legally TomTom was between a rock and a hard place. You can't use restricted-use patents in GPLed software.

Despite Microsoft assurances that a patent lawsuit against GPS navigation company TomTom is not targeting the overall Linux community, open-source leaders said on Thursday that the legal action is antagonistic toward the movement.

Microsoft filed suit against TomTom today, alleging that the in-car navigation company's devices violate eight of its patents -- including three that relate to TomTom's implementation of the Linux kernel.

Microsoft Corp. was sued by Dutch navigation-device maker TomTom NV, which claims the world’s largest software maker infringes four of its patents used for automobile navigation.
The suit comes less than a month after Microsoft filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington seeking to block some of TomTom’s U.S. imports.

One might have thought Microsoft was back rattling the patented software sabres against Linux and open source this week, reading some of the recent reports regarding Redmond’s patent infringement suit against automotive navigation and GPS player TomTom. However, upon further review, it seems that Microsoft is making a point to say that these suits are not aimed at the Linux OS or open source.

Microsoft's lawsuit against GPS navigation device maker TomTom set off a flurry of speculation about whether or not the company had forced GPL violating terms on 18 licensees of its FAT patents. If Microsoft followed licensing guidelines that were once published on its website, the answer is a clear "no."

A month or so ago I purchased a TomTom One map/navigation device, only to discover there is no Linux client for TomTom home, and as a consequence i am unable to update the maps on the device, or indeed, any other useful information that is made available for the device.

Microsoft is suing TomTom in part because the guys from Redmond claim that TomTom's use of Linux in its navigation devices has violated three of its file-system related patents. One reason why Microsoft feels it can do this is that it already has patent cross-licensing agreements covering these patents with other Linux-using companies.