In what could only be described as bad news for users and developers of wireless technology, a court in Texas ruled last week that certain Wi-Fi technologies fall under patents previously filed by an Australian government agency. The patents filed in 1996 by Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) cover certain aspects of the 802.11a and 802.11g wireless standards, according to a federal judge. This has far reaching ramifications as “More than 100 companies could end up paying royalties to CSIRO for use of the technology”. Many devices use these standards to communicate wirelessly, including notebooks and the newly released Zune media player from Microsoft.

The judge issued a summary judgment in this case, which is rare, and “indicates the court is wholly convinced by the evidence, to the point where there are no questions of fact.” The judgment is a particular blow to Buffalo Technology which stands to lose $1.5 million to $2 million. There is expected to be a lengthy appeal.

Source: ZDNet