[Gllug] [OT] CF card mp3 players?

[Russell Howe]

On Fri, Oct 15, 2004 at 12:59:54AM +0100, Mike Brodbelt wrote:
> SD presents a superset of the functionality of MMC. An MMC card
> basically contains addressable memory and a memory controller chip,
> IIRR, and most readers just present a USB mass storage interface to the
> host.

Ah, but that's a driver for a card reader, which probably isn't the same
as a driver for the card itself...

> In practice, this means that open source drivers for SD card readers and
> similar devices are no problem - the only bit that requires the closed
> source spec is the DRM stuff

I read it as that the interface to SD cards themselves is
patented/legally protected somehow, and therefore it would be illegal to
write code to interface directly with the card.

If this is the case, I would expect all card reader vendors to have to
pay some kind of license fee to the SD folks in order to be allowed to
produce something that will read SD cards (I guess the USB mass storage
protocols and interfaces are open, so interfacing with these readers has
no legal issues)

Note that I have nothing to support any of these thoughts - they're just
the impression I got..

-- 
Russell Howe       | Why be just another cog in the machine,
rhowe at siksai.co.uk | when you can be the spanner in the works?
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