"Jerry Rosenthal, chief executive officer of Open Invention Network, has just issued a statement about the Fortune article, which I take as a warning to any litigious folks out there who might be thinking about litigation against Linux that any such action will have consequences. 'We stand ready to leverage our IP portfolio to maintain the open patent environment OIN has helped create,' the statement concludes." Sun's Schwartz chimes in too.
To view parent comment, click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2007-02-17
{Sure, 100 patents may not sound as impressive as 235. But I expect that the patents contributted to OIN were calculated to be effective against this particular threat.}
OIN is an organisation that buys patents in support of Linux.
The patent commons is the organisation where donated patents in support of Linux are collected.
IBM's patents in support of Linux are here:
http://www.patentcommons.org/
There is a lot more than 100.
Member since:2005-07-24
Member since:2005-07-07
This is not a battle of patents to be fought in court, where we would be at a disadvantage, but a battle of PR to be fought in the public view.
I think Linux actually has the advantage here. Many companies have a vested interest in the success of Linux, including IBM, SUN, HP, RedHat, Novell, etc. If MS wants to litigate it's going to open the flood gates and it isn't going to be pretty. IBM alone could probably undo Microsoft and they have a bigger interest in Linux than most large IT companies.
Member since:
2005-07-24
I'd like to hear from IBM next. :-)
This is not a battle of patents to be fought in court, where we would be at a disadvantage, but a battle of PR to be fought in the public view. If there is one thing that the FOSS community knows how to do, it is how to live in a fish bowl, in full view of the world.
All of our nasty secrets are already public knowledge.
I'm sure that we will be much more forthright when it comes to describing exactly which of our patents Microsoft Windows(tm) and Microsoft Office(tm) violate.
Sure, 100 patents may not sound as impressive as 235. But I expect that the patents contributted to OIN were calculated to be effective against this particular threat.
And just one or two good ones would suffice.
Fortunately, it is unlikely that any of them will ever have to be used except for saber-rattling purposes.
Edited 2007-05-15 23:08