Software patents and free software: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 19:25, 13 April 2018

Revision as of 00:56, 23 May 2018

Line 18:

|title=Alan Cox on software patents

|date=2005-08-01

}}</ref> [[Bruce Perens]],<ref>[http://perens.com/Articles/Patents.html /home/bruce/Patents.html<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070305130408/http://perens.com/Articles/Patents.html |date=2007-03-05 }}</ref> and [[Linus Torvalds]]<ref>{{cite web

|url=http://linux-foundation.org/weblogs/openvoices/linus-torvalds-part-ii/

|title=Linux Foundation Interview with Linus Torvalds, mostly talking about software patents

Line 24:

|url=http://www.effi.org/patentit/patents_torvalds_cox.html

|title=Open Letter on Software Patents from Linux developers

}}</ref> and companies such as [[Red Hat]],<ref>[http://www.redhat.com/legal/patent_policy.html redhat.com | Red Hat Patent Policy<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> and [[MySQL]],<ref>[http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/patents.html MySQL AB :: MySQL Public Patent Policy<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705175742/http://www.mysql.com/company/legal/patents.html |date=2008-07-05 }}</ref> and community groups such as [[Free Software Foundation Europe|FSFE]],<ref>[http://fsfeurope.org/projects/swpat/ FSFE - Software Patents in Europe<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> [[Irish Free Software Organisation|IFSO]],<ref>[http://ifso.ie/projects/swpats.html Software Patentability & EU Directive COD/2002/0047<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> all believe that patents cause problems for free software.

==Patent licensing==

Line 44:

==The 2004 OSRM study==

In 2004, [[Open Source Risk Management]] commissioned a patent study, carried out by [[Dan Ravicher]]. For this study, Ravicher performed patent searches to estimate the patent-risk of the [[Linux kernel]]:<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.osriskmanagement.com/press_releases/press_release_080204.pdf

|title = OSRM PR: Results of First-Ever Linux Patent Review Announced

|format = PDF}}</ref>

|deadurl = yes

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080703214013/http://www.osriskmanagement.com/press_releases/press_release_080204.pdf

|archivedate = 2008-07-03

|df =

}}</ref>

<blockquote>

Line 68 ⟶ 73:

===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]] | accessdate = April 17, 2006 | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060812033542/http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/press_release11_05.php | archivedate=August 12, 2006 | df= }}</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.

Line 74 ⟶ 79:

===Lobbying for legislative change===

Movements have formed to lobby against the existence and enforceability of software patents. The earliest was the [[League for Programming Freedom]] in the USA. Probably the most successful was the anti-software-patent campaign in Europe that resulted in the rejection by the [[European Parliament]] of the [[Proposed directive on the patentability of computer-implemented inventions]] which, the free software community argues, would have made software patents enforceable in the [[European Union]]. A fledgling movement also exists in [[South Africa]].<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://www.ftisa.org.za/

|title = Freedom to Innovate South Africa

|deadurl = yes

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070520060215/http://www.ftisa.org.za/

|archivedate = 2007-05-20

|df =

}}</ref>

Line 120 ⟶ 129:

|accessdate=2009-12-07

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

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

|title = Microsoft Declares Interfaces Accessible; Royalties May Apply

|author1 = George J. Weiss
|author2 = Matthew W. Cain
|author3 = Nikos Drakos
|accessdate = 2009-12-07

|deadurl = bot: unknown

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

|archivedate = 2012-09-10

|df =

}}</ref>

Line 156 ⟶ 172:

|title=The MS-Novell patent deal

}}</ref> This led to much criticism of Novell by the [[free software community]].<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://techp.org/petition/show/1

|title = Bruce Perens's petition criticising Novell

|deadurl = yes

|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20090118053505/http://techp.org/petition/show/1

|archivedate = 2009-01-18

|df =

}}</ref>

In June 2007, [[Xandros]] announced a similar deal.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070604183519938 | title=Groklaw article on Xandros' Microsoft deal}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url = http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2007/jun07/06-04XandrosPR.mspx | title=Microsoft, Xandros Broad Collaboration Agreement Extends Bridge Between Commercial Open Source and Microsoft Software }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release | url=http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=31406 | title=Xandros community forums, first thread on this topic | deadurl=yes | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031448/http://forums.xandros.com/viewtopic.php?t=31406 | archivedate=2007-09-28 | df= }}</ref>

}}</ref>

On June 13, 2007, a deal was reached between Microsoft and [[Linspire]].<ref>[http://desktoplinux.com/news/NS9642338710.html Linspire, Microsoft in Linux-related deal<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616135029/http://www.desktoplinux.com/news/NS9642338710.html |date=2007-06-16 }}</ref> In return, Linspire would change its default search engine from Google to Live search.<ref>[http://linux.slashdot.org/linux/07/06/14/1227201.shtml Slashdot | Linspire Signs Patent Pact With MS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

[[Ubuntu (operating system)|Ubuntu]] founder and director [[Mark Shuttleworth]] has said that Ubuntu will not be making any such deal,<ref>{{cite web

Line 193 ⟶ 212:

| date=2007-10-11

| accessdate=2007-10-12}}</ref><ref>The U.S. patent 5,072,412 concerns the desktop User Interface, see [http://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

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

| date = 2007-08-12

|accessdate = 2009-12-07

}}{{dead link|date=May accessdate2018 |bot=2009InternetArchiveBot |fix-12-07attempted=yes }}</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 | publisher = | date = | accessdate = 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