B Eye: The Linux Liability Problem

“The last month has seen both Oracle and Microsoft take their
gloves off in their competition with open source software. Where
Oracle has taken a seemingly straightforward approach of copying
the competition and undercutting their prices, Microsoft’s move to
invoke intellectual property and the terms of the GNU Public
License (GPL) to counter open source competition is much more
potentially damaging. What’s more, while Oracle’s success could be
a positive force on open source, Microsoft’s success could endanger
the existence of the open source movement. Can the Open Invention
Network, the Patent Commons or someone else save the day?

“For years, the challenge for Linux vendors has been to build a
case that Linux and other open source software can be as good as or
better than proprietary software in solving business
problems…”

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