Open Source Development Labs (OSDL) revealed plans on Tuesday for a project that will aggregate information on patents that have been pledged to the open source community.
Google has joined the Open Invention Network (OIN) which will see it agree to cross-license open- source-related patents to other members free of charge.
Oracle has licensed patents of the Open Invention Network, a group seeking to give open-source allies some clout in an intellectual property realm that favors the incumbent proprietary software powers.
What appears to be a leaked internal memo from HP shows that the company expected Microsoft to launch a full legal assault on free open-source software (FOSS) using patent law. The document, dated two years ago and revealed on the Newsforge FOSS news site yesterday, details concerns at the highest levels within HP that "basically Microsoft is going to use the legal system to shut down open-source software".
Microsoft has turned to spreading fear, uncertainty and doubt in the open-source market because it cannot win against open source on price, according to Linus Torvalds.
Microsoft's allegations that open source infringed on its patents may never make it to the courts. So why make such a fuss over the claims?
Although Sun Microsystems recently made software patents available for use by open-source developers, OSI founder Bruce Perens cautions that the patent picture is turning increasingly murky.
The patent system is supposed to encourage technological innovation. Instead, it rewards those who have the knowledge and resources to work it to their advantage.
Richard Stallman says even if Sun and others follow IBM's lead and started defusing the patent minefield of software development, the battle against software patents must continue.
One Linux Australia past president thinks so. In other Linux.conf.au coverage, a leading IT lawyer claims that an expensive and ineffective patent regime is hampering the work of Australia's software community.
Open source is actually anti-industry, and protecting it is not in Australia's interests, says one industry observer. Additional reading: Why one Norwegian city switched to Linux
The efforts of Microsoft to pressure the Linux community over alleged and unspecified patents is akin to "patent terrorism", according to a local executive for Sun Microsystems.
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For new Mac users, figuring out how to install and remove programs can be vexing. Don't worry; it's way easier than you may have thought!
Linus Torvalds, who was attending Australia's largest Linux Conference, is worried about how patents will affect the future of Linux.
Members of the Ogg Vorbis project have unveiled release 1.0 of their software, an open-source alternative to the MP3 format.
RealNetworks has unveiled a new open-source version of its streaming media technology that supports multiple file formats for audio and video, including those that use Microsoft's Windows Media technology.
RealNetworks on Wednesday released the last piece of its three-part open-source code for streaming digital media, but the server code lacks support for the industry standard MPEG-4.
AOL Time Warner has updated its popular Winamp MP3 player, adding video capabilities that bring the program into direct competition with Microsoft, Apple and RealNetworks.
RealNetworks has publicly disclosed the software blueprint to its streaming media technology in an effort to take on Microsoft.
Microsoft slams Google on privacy
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