Microsoft signs patent deal with Panasonic

Microsoft has licensed its FAT and exFAT file management systems to Panasonic

Microsoft has inked a patent licensing agreement to provide Panasonic with access to its File Allocation Table (FAT) and extended FAT (exFAT) file management systems. FAT is used to manage data on a storage device.

Panasonic is likely to use the exFAT system to manage stored files within its consumer electronics offerings.

The company was one of many to roll out devices with more powerful and complex computing hardware at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"Microsoft's exFAT file system technology is designed to enhance multimedia experiences for consumers, which is especially important because televisions and other consumer electronic devices are moving far beyond traditional media content," said David Kaefer, general manager for intellectual property licensing at Microsoft.

The deal is the latest in a string of intellectual property sharing deals for Microsoft. The company agreed to a patent-sharing deal with Amazon earlier this week, and has ongoing deals with Novell, Brother and Nikon.