.NET Framework: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Microsoft .NET Framework v4.5 logo.png|thumb|Microsoft .NET Framework v4.5 logo]]

In November 2014, Microsoft also produced an update to its patent grants, which further extends the scope beyond its prior pledges. Prior projects like [[Mono (software)|Mono]] existed in a legal [[loophole|greygray area]] because Microsoft's earlier grants applied only to the technology in "covered specifications", including strictly the 4th editions each of ECMA-334 and ECMA-335. The new patent promise, however, places no ceiling on the specification version, and even extends to any .NET runtime technologies documented on MSDN that have not been formally specified by the ECMA group, if a project chooses to implement them. This allows Mono and other projects to maintain feature parity with modern .NET features that have been introduced since the 4th edition was published without being at risk of patent litigation over the implementation of those features. The new grant does maintain the restriction that any implementation must maintain minimum compliance with the mandatory parts of the CLI specification.<ref name="dotnet-patent-promise">{{cite web|title=Microsoft Patent Promise for .NET Libraries and Runtime Components|website=[[GitHub]]|url=https://github.com/dotnet/corefx/blob/master/PATENTS.TXT|access-date=November 16, 2014|archive-date=February 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221070138/https://github.com/dotnet/corefx/blob/master/PATENTS.TXT|url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 31, 2016, Microsoft announced at [[Build (developer conference)|Microsoft Build]] that they will completely [[software relicensing|relicense]] Mono under an [[MIT License]] even in scenarios where formerly a commercial license was needed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Krill|first1=Paul|title=Xamarin's Mono runtime gets a looser license|url=http://www.infoworld.com/article/3050732/microsoft-windows/xamarins-mono-runtime-gets-a-looser-license.html|website=[[InfoWorld]]|publisher=[[IDG]]|date=April 1, 2016|access-date=April 13, 2016|archive-date=April 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416032759/http://www.infoworld.com/article/3050732/microsoft-windows/xamarins-mono-runtime-gets-a-looser-license.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Microsoft also supplemented its prior patent promise for Mono, stating that they will not assert any "applicable patents" against parties that are "using, selling, offering for sale, importing, or distributing Mono."<ref name=Ferraira1>{{cite web|url=http://techreport.com/news/29929/xamarin-now-comes-free-with-visual-studio|title=Xamarin now comes free with Visual Studio.|work=The Tech Report|date=March 31, 2016|first=Bruno|last=Ferraira|access-date=April 12, 2016|archive-date=April 2, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402173444/http://techreport.com/news/29929/xamarin-now-comes-free-with-visual-studio|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Microsoft_PP_Mono">{{cite web|url=https://github.com/mono/mono/blob/master/PATENTS.TXT|title=Microsoft Patent Promise for Mono|work=Mono on GitHub |date=March 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416133644/https://github.com/mono/mono/blob/master/PATENTS.TXT|archive-date=April 16, 2016|access-date=April 16, 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy}}</ref> It was announced that the Mono Project was contributed to the .NET Foundation. These developments followed the acquisition of [[Xamarin]], which began in February 2016 and was finished on March 18, 2016.<ref name="Friedman2">{{cite web|url=https://blog.xamarin.com/xamarin-for-all/|title=Xamarin for Everyone|work=Xamarin Blog |first1=Nat |last1=Friedman |date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412072728/https://blog.xamarin.com/xamarin-for-all/|archive-date=April 12, 2016|access-date=April 12, 2016}}</ref>