IBM Pledges 500 Patents to Open Source
After promising last year not to harass Linux users with patent lawsuits, IBM has officially pledged 500 specific patents to the entire Open Source community. What does it really mean for Open Source developers and the future legal status of Linux?
Following up on a promise last August to not use its vast patent portfolio against Linux users, IBM pledged in January to give 500 patents to open source developers. To some, this has come across as too little too late, as IBM still lobbies for software patent legislation in Europe, still receives more United States patents each year than any other company, and still makes oodles of money from licensing those patents to commercial developers. But IBM’s actions are laudable and significant for at least two reasons.