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Article

Title: IBM shifts patent path

Author: Galli, Peter Article Type: Product Analysis
Source: eWeek, v22 n3 p24(1) Publication Date: Jan 17, 2005
  ISSN: 1530-6283
  Illustrations: Graphs, Charts
URL of Publication: http://www.eweek.com

IBM has significantly changed its management and deployment of the IBM intellectual property (IP) portfolio by giving individuals, groups, communities, and companies working on open source software free and unimpeded access to innovations that span 500 of IBM's software patents. Officials for IBM say the only condition linked to the use of the patented code is that resulting open source software has to meet Open Source Initiative criteria. IBM's policy will also be the foundation of an industry-wide patent commons in which patents can be used to establish a platform for more innovations in areas of interest to IT developers and users. Patents covered under IBMs decision include important interoperability features of operating systems (OSs) and database, Internet, user interface, and language processing technologies. Examples include some patents that cover dynamic linking processes for OSs and file export protocols. The move puts IBM into a favorable, congenial light, says an expert, and it is possible that other vendors will follow IBM's lead. However, if they do not, their staying out of the battle over patents might be good for the industry. A spokesman for IBM technical software strategy disagrees and has stated that IBM will continue to seek new ways to promote and energize community-based collaborative development.

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