Over two years ago, Microsoft and Novell signed an interoperability deal. Part of this agreement was a patent deal that suggested that Linux infringed on Microsoft's IP. Since then, Microsoft has signed a number more of these deals with various companies, but the Novell one is still the most famous.

Microsoft signed with Novell, and then got all "everyone else is violating our patents". This article talks about what was EXCLUDED from the Novell/Microsoft agreement, and the potential this has for a Microsoft attack.

"Yet another open source software provider has signed a licensing and patent agreement with Microsoft. The VAR Guy wonders: Is Microsoft moving a few strategic pieces into place before launching a legal showdown against Red Hat?"

Microsoft and Amazon.com have signed a wide-ranging patent cross-licensing agreement that provides each company with access to the other's patent portfolio. Specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but it was made clear that Amazon will be paying Microsoft an undisclosed amount of money as part of the arrangement.

Detailed analysis of the Red Hat-Microsoft situation as of today

Borough Council has scrapped the controversial 10-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it signed with Microsoft in 2004 and drawn up a new agreement with a new set of deliverables.

Linux users take note: Microsoft has signed another patent licensing agreement with a Linux using vendor. In this new case, Microsoft has signed a deal with Melco Group the group that owns tech vendor Buffalo Technology.

Yesterday I had a look at the response of the Joomla! community to the news that Microsoft had signed the Joomla! Contributor Agreement and was contributing code to the content management project.

The agreement that Red Hat and Microsoft signed last week is something like a royal wedding - we all like the idea but we'd like to know a bit more about the demands made by the bride.