Saying it will now be easier for other companies, academic institutions, and even businesses to use its intellectual properties for other products and research, Microsoft announced an expansion of its technology licensing program Dec. 3.
The new program will first offer licenses for ClearType text display and the File Allocation Table system "under fair and reasonable terms for any enterprise" willing to pay a fee or royalty to use those technologies, according to Reuters. Academic institutions approved by Microsoft will be able to license those technologies free, the news wire added.
This is a slight shift from Microsoft's prior policy of making intellectual property available case-by-case, according to the company's deputy general counsel, Marshall Phelps. "(I)t is important to note that we don't see this as being a material move for Microsoft from a revenue perspective," he told Reuters. "Customers and the broader industry have asked us for increased access and transparency to our growing IP portfolio."
The Redmond, Wash. software giant also said it would make its other technology available for similar licensing. And that, Reuters said, would also include its more advanced NTFS file system and an upcoming file system to go with the next major Windows overhaul.
