Availability of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Patent License for RDP 8.0.

Just announced on the Microsoft RDV team blog:

“…Microsoft is pleased to announce the availability of the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) Patent License for RDP 8.0.

Today, partners are developing a variety of different solutions that utilize RDP. Examples of these solutions include:

• Non-Windows thin client devices
• RDP client and server software
• Third-party collaboration software that consumes the RDP stream

Documentation describing the RDP feature set is available for free on the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN) website.

Microsoft requires RDP implementers to obtain a patent license for RDP and recently made it easier to obtain the required patent license by using a fixed fee agreement. Pursuant to the fixed fee agreement, an RDP implementer receives a patent license to use the RDP 8.0 feature set to interact with the appropriately licensed Windows Remote Desktop clients and servers and any new versions of the RDP feature set released during the term of the agreement.

As an RDP implementer, you will enjoy:

Free documentation support via community forums

Invitations to protocol PlugFest events

Message Analyzer tool, a protocol analyzer that allows you to capture, view, and analyze network traffic

Test suites: Microsoft has begun releasing test suites for different protocols and will continue to roll them out over time

Reference source code: An optional addendum to the RDP license enables access to:

• RDP 7.1 reference sources
• RDP 8.0 progressive Codec and Clear Codec reference sources…”

Source and more info: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/rds/archive/2013/12/11/remote-desktop-protocol-licensing-available-for-rdp-8-0.aspx