Your position seems most inconsistent to me. FAT is a prime example of a technology that is essential for interoperability (yet trivial compared to modern alter

Your position seems most inconsistent to me. FAT is a prime example of a technology that is essential for interoperability (yet trivial compared to modern alternatives). Good luck exchanging files using a USB thumb drive formatted with EXT4. Or getting the pictures from your camera SD card without supporting FAT32. FAT16/32 are the only filesystems that work seamlessly in Windows, OS X and Linux. It's not about filing patents. Patents are routinely filed for defensive purpose and it's hard to blame the companies that do it, especially in light of the abuse by e.g. Microsoft. It's what companies do with the patents. Like getting Motorola phones banned in Germany due to FAT16 patent infringement [1]. [1] http://www.zdnet.com/motorola-android-devices-banned-in-germany-in-microsoft-fat-spat-7000001715/ http://www.zdnet.com/motorola-android-devices-banned-in-germ...