Patent Rights > WSPP Licensing
Microsoft Work Group Server Protocol Program Licensing
The Microsoft Work Group Server Protocol Program (WSPP) provides access to protocols that are used by Windows Server operating systems to provide file, print, and user and group administration services to Windows work group networks.
The documentation for the WSPP protocols is published on MSDN and can be used without restrictions.
Patent licenses covering the WSPP protocols are also available. WSPP 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
WSPP Patent License
Some WSPP protocols include patented inventions, and others do not. You may benefit from the WSPP patent license if you use or distribute any of the protocols covered by Microsoft patents.
A WSPP No Patent license is also available.
The patent license categories for WSPP are based on groups of protocols that perform file, print, and user and group administration server tasks and scenarios. (In some cases, specific protocols can be applied to more than one task.) A list of tasks and pricing for each of these tasks is available in Tables A1 and A2 of the WSPP Patent Agreement.
WSPP 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 protocols.
Licensing Flexibility
Microsoft is committed to working constructively and in a spirit of good faith to craft appropriate royalties and customized licenses that may depart from programmatic offerings to address the needs of a particular licensee.
WSPP 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 WSPP protocols by certain open source developers
Microsoft’s WSPP Patent Pledges are available here.
Background Information about WSPP
Microsoft designed WSPP to meet the obligation to make protocol technology available to relevant parties and to allow the use of Microsoft technology in the manner required in the European Commission Decision issued on March 24, 2004. To that end, Microsoft has established a licensing program—in consultation with the European Commission—that includes a process for evaluating the protocol technology, a royalty structure, and various license forms. For more information, contact the WSPP Licensing Team.
