Microsoft Patent Claims Complicated by GPLv3

“The expected approval of the GNU General Public License version
3 (GPLv3) could further muddy the waters for Microsoft’s claims it
will collect payment on its patents for Linux technology as there
is a question about whether the company’s interoperability deal
with Novell will violate the forthcoming final draft.

“The current version of the GPL, the open-source license for
Linux, does not have specific protection against patent litigation
for companies distributing Linux. However, GPLv3, which is expected
to be in final release in the next couple of months, has a
provision promising patent safety to those who receive software,
such as Linux, distributed under the license…”

Complete
Story