MS FAT file system license targets open source

gulker writes “A note on Dave Farber’s list concerning MS decision to license the FAT/FAT32 file system: ‘The licensing for electronic devices capable of reading FAT media is interesting. While the 25 cent may be acceptable to camera manufacturers, it is certainly deadly for free operating systems (*BSD, Linux,…), as putting up any charging infrastructure will incur significant additional expenses. Given Microsoft’s history and interest in fighting free operating systems, this may be deliberate.'”