New York Times: IBM to Give Free Access to 500 Patents

[ Thanks to SamIam for this link. ]

"I.B.M. plans to announce today that it is making 500 of its software patents freely available to anyone working on open-source projects, like the popular Linux operating system, on which programmers collaborate and share code.

"The new model for I.B.M., analysts say, represents a shift away from the traditional corporate approach to protecting ownership of ideas through patents, copyrights, trademark and trade-secret laws..."

Complete Story

Non-Registration Link to Wilmington Star News

Related Stories:

• The Register: 2004 in Review: Intellectual Property(Dec 22, 2004)
• The Inquirer: Sun, IBM Adopt Jesuitical Approach to Linux(Nov 02, 2004)
• CNET News: Big Blue's Chip Chief Takes Up IP helm(Oct 14, 2004)
• eWeek: Novell to Use Its Patents to Protect Open-Source Programs(Oct 12, 2004)