Software patents and free software: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:27, 1 December 2020

Revision as of 16:10, 20 January 2021

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===Patent pools===

In 2005, [[IBM]], [[Novell]], [[Philips]], [[Red Hat]], and [[Sony]] founded the [[Open Invention Network]] (OIN). OIN is a company that acquires patents and offers them royalty free "to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the [[Linux operating system]] or certain Linux-related applications".<ref>{{cite web | date=November 10, 2005 | url=http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/press_release11_05.php | title=Open Invention Network formed to promote Linux and spur innovation globally through access to key patents | publisher=[[Open Invention Network]] | accessdateaccess-date=April 17, 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060812033542/http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/press_release11_05.php | archive-date=August 12, 2006 }}</ref>

Novell donated the valuable [[Commerce One]] web services patents to OIN. These potentially threaten anyone who uses web services. OIN's founders intend for these patents to encourage others to join, and to discourage legal threats against Linux and Linux-related applications. Along with several other projects, [[Mono (software)|Mono]] is listed as a covered project.

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|title=Microsoft Patent Pledge for Open Source Developers

|author=Microsoft

|accessdateaccess-date=2009-12-07

}}</ref> which CEO [[Steve Ballmer]] called "an important step and significant change in how we share information about our products and technologies."<ref>{{cite web

|url=http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/feb08/02-21expandinteroperabilitypr.mspx

|title=Microsoft Makes Strategic Changes in Technology and Business Practices to Expand Interoperability

|author=Microsoft

|accessdateaccess-date=2009-12-07

}}</ref> This pledge has been accepted with some skepticism.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=155733

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|author2 = Matthew W. Cain

|author3 = Nikos Drakos

|accessdateaccess-date = 2009-12-07

|url-status = bot: unknown

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120910183540/http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=155733

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|url=http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/127

|title=No negotiations with Microsoft in progress

|accessdateaccess-date=2007-06-25

|author=Mark Shuttleworth

|author-link=Mark Shuttleworth

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|url=http://corp.mandriva.com/webteam/2007/06/19/we-will-not-go-to-canossa/

|title=We will not go to Canossa

|accessdateaccess-date=2007-06-20

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070621141310/http://corp.mandriva.com/webteam/2007/06/19/we-will-not-go-to-canossa/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-06-21}}</ref> that "''we don’t believe it is necessary for us to get protection from Microsoft''".

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|publisher=zdnet

| date=2007-10-11

| accessdateaccess-date=2007-10-12}}</ref><ref name="LLCsuitegroklaw">{{cite web

| url=http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20071011205044141

| title=Patent Infringement Lawsuit Filed Against Red Hat & Novell - Just Like Ballmer Predicted

|publisher=groklaw

| date=2007-10-11

| accessdateaccess-date=2007-10-12}}</ref><ref>The U.S. patent 5,072,412 concerns the desktop User Interface, see [https://www.google.com/patents?id=3tUkAAAAEBAJ&dq=5,072,412 here]</ref> However, IP Innovation LLC is a subsidiary of a company classified by some as a [[patent troll]],<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS2013674721.html

|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130103223944/http://www.linux-watch.com/news/NS2013674721.html

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|title = Patent-troll company attacks Novell and Red Hat

|date = 2007-08-12

|accessdateaccess-date = 2009-12-07

}}</ref> and commentators suspect a strong connection between this company and Microsoft.<ref name="LLCsuitezdnet" /><ref name="LLCsuitegroklaw" /> In 2010, IP Innovation lost the suit.<ref>{{Cite web | title = http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20100430223358785 | url = http://www.groklaw.net/articlebasic.php?story=20100430223358785 | accessdateaccess-date = 5 July 2013 }}</ref>

In December 2007, Microsoft granted [[Samba (software)|the Samba project]] access to certain proprietary documents and must maintain a list of related patents for a one-time fee of 10,000 Euros.<ref>{{cite web

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| author=The Samba Team

| date=2007-12-20

| accessdateaccess-date=2009-12-07}}</ref> Microsoft was required to make this information available to competitors as part of the European Commission March 24, 2004 Decision pertaining to antitrust violations.

==See also==