Microsoft Patent Deal With JVC May Cover Linux UseMicrosoft Patent Deal With JVC May Cover Linux Use

Microsoft said Tuesday that it struck a patent cross-licensing deal with Japanese electronics manufacturer JVC that includes net payments from JVC to Microsoft.

Under the deal, both companies will exchange patent information related to the development and manufacturing of consumer products. More specific terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Microsoft, however, did say that the deal's balance of payments tilts in its direction. "Microsoft is being compensated by JVC," Microsoft said in a statement.

The statement has raised speculation that Microsoft may be charging JVC for its use of the Linux operating system in some of its products. Among other things, JVC uses Linux in its streaming video networking gear.

Microsoft claims that Linux, an open source software project that's used alike by home PC enthusiasts and multinational corporations, infringes on 42 of its patents. Of late, the company has launched an enforcement campaign under which it's been attempting to collect royalties from vendors that use Linux commercially.

So far, Microsoft has reached Linux accords with Samsung, Novell, LG Electronics, and Linux distributor Xandros -- among others.

Last year, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said his company also expects payment from computer users who run a version of Linux distributed by Red Hat.

"People [who] use Red Hat, at least with respect to our intellectual property, in a sense have an obligation to eventually compensate us," Ballmer said at a company event in London in October.

Microsoft isn't the only company that's sought to claim ownership over parts of Linux. The SCO Group has claimed that Linux violates copyrights relating to the Unix operating system. Last year, a judge ruled that SCO has no ownership stake in Unix -- making the bankrupt vendor's claim largely moot.

For its part, the Linux camp has fiercely denied that the operating system violates any commercial patents or copyrights. Microsoft, to date, has refused to specify exactly which patents it believes Linux violates.