eWeek has an article citing evidence from Larry Blunk (of Merit) that Microsoft is poised to assert intellectual property rights over internet protocols including TCP, IP v4 and IP v6, DNS and other essential protocols.

The concerns were expressed in a note to the IETF's IAB (Internet Architecture Board) and asserts that the agreement that Microsoft is offering to let people sign licensing protocols for use on a royalty-free basis represents a threat to the IP of IP.

Among the protocols and implementations listed in the document are such winners as: AppleTalk (invented by Apple), Bluetooth and it's associated protocols (invented by Ericsson), BAP (invented at Ascend), and a host of other standard protocols.

Upon reading the document further, it appears to be an attempt by Microsoft to provide some kind of blanket license for people using standard protocols to talk to Windows clients, requiring them to comply with published RFCs, etc. when using them and also putting a marker on the table to twist people's arms later.

I guess we'll see.