FreeTDS Development Group

["James K. Lowden" <jklowden AT freetds.org>]

Craig Berry wrote:
> So if I contribute code  I'm covered, but if my blender of the future
> wants to embed FreeTDS in its firmware so it can retrieve the latest
> margarita recipes from the mother ship

Where did you get your blender?  I want one.  Especially after today.  

> and if that future version of FreeTDS includes anything covered by the
> patent, then my layman's reading is that the open source pledge does
> nothing at all for me; instead I have to pay licensing fees to Microsoft
> just as if I had obtained the implementation from them.  

I'd agree, except that I think it's the distributor -- i.e. manufacturer
in this case -- who's liable for royalty payments.  

I'm not aware of any patent case in which the person pressing Frapp was
held accountable for the distributor's choices.  Patent cases are tried
and settled (or decided) every day; I've never heard of an end-user being
dinged for fees.  

> I had thought (correct me if I'm wrong) that the LGPL would allow such
> use with some restrictions.

Sure, just not that one.  ;-)

--jkl