Preventing More Delays (sd License)

[Username]

I didn't know that it required license fees. Good to know though, I guess.

 

[spaceballs3000]

Now that we are on licensing fees, what about the fvat-patents? TomTom was recently sued by Microsoft for those. If it was my decision, I'd stick to ext2 and remove fvat from the base-kernel (i guess a fvat-module could still be made available for download, similar to how codecs are handled), but that's not my decision. Just wanted to warn before unnecessery costs come up.

Interesting idea, don't see how it could hurt Pandora in any way going to 8.3 filenames only (for fat).

 

[MWeston]

Everything needs licensing now adays!

I asked DJWillis about the FAT licensing stuff as he my expert on stuff like that, but I never got a response on it. It probably needs more investigation.

It ticks me off the way these China companies likely ignore all this to sell stuff so cheap. Well, who knows, but you sure have to wonder. The rest of the world follows the rules and everyone pays.

 

[cb88]

well there is always the ext2 drivers for windows.... I know it has drawbacks (like you acutally have to install it ) might not be as stable as fat support in windows doubt that though

 

[PSyMastR]

well there is always the ext2 drivers for windows.... I know it has drawbacks (like you acutally have to install it ) might not be as stable as fat support in windows doubt that though

It also doesn't work 1/2 the time, and is only for permanent mounted hard drives, temp things like sd would fail hard.

 

[Kramy]

Now that we are on licensing fees, what about the fvat-patents? TomTom was recently sued by Microsoft for those. If it was my decision, I'd stick to ext2 and remove fvat from the base-kernel (i guess a fvat-module could still be made available for download, similar to how codecs are handled), but that's not my decision. Just wanted to warn before unnecessery costs come up.

Isn't FAT32 only used on SD cards? And don't SD card manufacturers license those patents from Microsoft?

Or is it also being used on the NAND?

 

[spaceballs3000]

I've gotten a response.

Bummer I still had to pay no matter what, it was worth checking anyways at least.

QUOTE

...
A HALA license is required if your company manufacturers a product that contains a SD host device.

Mike


Michael XXX
License Administrator, SD-3C,LLC

Miller, Kaplan, Arase & Co., LLP
XXX Montgomery Street, Suite XXX
San Francisco, CA 94402
415 402 xxxx

 

[BackAssward]

TI has said that customers are responsible for licensing of the SD protocol so we'll have to pay for it. At least we can use their logo now.

It seems that some of you should make apologies to spaceballs3000, and a few thanks for pointing this out for the OP team.

(not talking to MWeston, but the "internet know it alls" who argued this without knowing what they were talking about.

btw, thanks spaceballs3000

 

[nightwheel]

Lets hope we don't have to do much licensing for the Pandora. That could get costly quickly I would assume

 

[Vorporeal]

TI has said that customers are responsible for licensing of the SD protocol so we'll have to pay for it. At least we can use their logo now.

It seems that some of you should make apologies to spaceballs3000, and a few thanks for pointing this out for the OP team.

(not talking to MWeston, but the "internet know it alls" who argued this without knowing what they were talking about.

btw, thanks spaceballs3000


Read the posts again - nobody flamed him or outright stated that he was absolutely wrong (at least, I didn't). All I said was that I wouldn't expect it to be that way. Everything was stated as opinion, not researched (or assumed) fact.

EDIT: Good to know that this is covered now and we didn't run into some potentially fatal licensing fees.

 

[Alpha2]

the licensing fees already look kinda painful at this point, I'm really hopeing there's a decent enough warchest set up to pay for all these things now and not forcing the team to come out of their own pockets even further for unplanned expenses.

 

[RajTakhar]

the licensing fees already look kinda painful at this point, I'm really hopeing there's a decent enough warchest set up to pay for all these things now and not forcing the team to come out of their own pockets even further for unplanned expenses.

+1 and Amen to that!

http://gp2xwizandpandora.blogspot.com/

 

[Pleng]

Am I the only one concerned that the OP team did not appear to have researched this themselves, and have had to have it pointed out by somebody on the forum?!

I hope there aren't any other potnetially-fatal areas that team OP have neglected to research!

 

[gruso]

MWeston didn't say that he learned about it from this thread. EvilDragon indicated that it had already been looked into.

Although I did just look out the window, and it's true, the sky is falling.

 

[spaceballs3000]

the licensing fees already look kinda painful at this point, I'm really hopeing there's a decent enough warchest set up to pay for all these things now and not forcing the team to come out of their own pockets even further for unplanned expenses.

From other posts I've read, I think they got the major ones planned, CE & FCC (SAR if wireless is not a separate pre-certified module).

Though they should do UL if they can, since it's an liability issue, it be on my personal list.

If they are not using pre-certified wireless modules then get Industry Canada (IC) for Canada, usually this can be tacked on as part of FCC cost for a little bit more.

China Compulsory Certification (CCC) if selling in china.

etc...

 

[jlebrech]

For the FAT issue, could you not put a sticker on the pandora that says. "please install ext4 driver before inserting SD card into your PC" then you wouldn't have to worry about MS.

 

[crimer]

Reminds me of the problems Openmoko was having with the mp3 support in the firmware images.

 

[Vorporeal]

I wonder if the vfat stuff could be solved by not providing it on the device when it's shipped, but having a launch-day firmware update that just overwrites the kernel with another that has vfat support in it? Something like that might work... who knows.

 

[urjaman]

I wonder if the vfat stuff could be solved by not providing it on the device when it's shipped, but having a launch-day firmware update that just overwrites the kernel with another that has vfat support in it? Something like that might work... who knows.

If this has to be "worked around",
i'm thinking of something like the ubuntu mp3 codecs, etc. So the VFAT module wouldn't be on the pandora stock image, but you would only need to issue a command to download&install or it could even ask for it eg. upon insertion of a FAT formatted SD card.

 

[Butterman]

This thread makes me a sad panda.