SAN FRANCISCO - IBM, Sony Corp., Philips N.V, Red Hat Inc. and Novell Inc. have announced on Thursday that they are forming a new company to share Linux patents, but without charging any royalties. The new company is to be called Open Invention Network.
The main aim of the network is to acquire all Linux related patents and share them with organizations that agree not to put up their own applications against Linux. This new company could be a breakthrough in resolving the vexed issue of protecting vendors and customers from patent royalty cases that arise from using the Linux code.
"We are not focused on income or profit generation with our patents, but on using them to promote a positive, fertile ecosystem for the Linux operating system and to drive innovation and choice into the marketplace," said Jerry Rosenthal, chief executive at Open Invention Network.
He added that the firm wanted to allow software developers the freedom to do what they did best; "developing great Linux-related software with greater assurance about intellectual property issues." All the big names are coming together because any differences over the Linux operating system "seriously jeopardize innovation," Rosenthal asserted.
He must know what he is talking about since he was the vice-president at IBM's intellectual property and licensing business before taking on the top job at OIN.
Others echoed his sentiments, Red Hat Senior Vice President Mark Webbink said, "Open Invention Network extends to distributors and users of open-source software freedom from concern about software patents." IBM has time and again stressed the importance of allowing developers a free hand on the Linux OS, so its involvement with the OIN comes as no surprise.
One of the first patents to be held by the OIN is the business-to-business electronic commerce patents that were acquired by JGR, a subsidiary of Novell from Commerce One.
