---

Home Developer

ZDNet UK: IBM’s Open Patents are Just the First Step

By

“IBM’s decision to make five hundred patents available for open
source use is a welcome start to 2005. Despite Bill Gates’ recent
comparison of open source reformers with communists, the most
compelling analysis of IBM’s move is that it is entirely in the
company’s capitalistic interests so to do. It has decided that open
source creates an environment in which it can be competitive:
patents threaten open source. By making a public, irrevocable and
unambiguous commitment to use its patents in a way that encourages
open source development, IBM expects to reap concrete commercial
advantages. This is not a philosophical or moral decision…”

Complete
Story

Get the Free Newsletter!

Subscribe to Developer Insider for top news, trends, & analysis

Must Read

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Our Brands

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.