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A patch for the Linux kernel that could allow the use of the FAT file system without the risk of infringement of patents belonging to Microsoft has been released.

In February, the corporation from Redmond sued TomTom for infringement of a patent on the FAT file system. In response to this Microsoft's action, TomTom sued Microsoft. Although, corporations reached an agreement, the problem of legal use of FAT still remains.

Recently, Microsoft and TomTom reached a settlement agreement to end a dispute which started when Microsoft sued TomTom over alleged patent infringement over its FAT file system. As it turns out, the settlement agreement can have unexpectedly quite big impact on the Open Source community and the entire industry.