Patent Rights > MCPP Licensing
Microsoft Communications Protocol Program Licensing
The Microsoft Communications Protocol Program (MCPP) provides access to protocols that are used by Windows Server operating systems to interoperate with Windows desktop operating systems.
The documentation for the MCPP protocols is published on MSDN and can be used without restrictions.
Patent licenses covering the MCPP protocols are also available. MCPP patent licensees receive the following additional benefits:
- Optional Technical Account Manager (TAM) to help resolve documentation questions
- Optional viewing rights to Windows source code to assist with implementing the protocols
- Free access to Plugfests and Interoperability labs
MCPP Patent License
Some MCPP protocols include patented inventions, and others do not. You may benefit from the MCPP patent license if you use or distribute any of the protocols covered by Microsoft patents. For more information, contact the MCPP Licensing Team.
An addendum to the MCPP License Agreement that grants rights to use Server-to-Server protocols is also available.
The patent licenses available under this program have been grouped according to server task. Pricing for each of the client to server tasks is given in the MCPP License Agreement at Exhibit A. A list of tasks and pricing for server to server tasks is available in Exhibit A of the Server-to-Server Addendum.
MCPP Patent Map
To assist you in determining whether a patent license may be beneficial for you, Microsoft provides the following list of patents that read on the MCPP protocols. For more information, contact the MCPP Licensing Team.
Licensing Flexibility
Microsoft is committed to working constructively to craft appropriate royalties and customized licenses that may depart from programmatic offerings to address the needs of a particular licensee.
MCPP Patent Pledges
Microsoft has made patent pledges with respect to:
- Patent rights that have not been disclosed on the patent maps discussed above
- Implementation of the MCPP protocols by certain open source developers
Microsoft MCPP Patent Pledges are available here.
