IBM opens 500 patents to open-source developers

Paul Kallender   Today’s Top Stories   or  Other Legislation/Regulation Stories  

Why SaaS is Vital to Email and Web Security Take Control! Managing Your Application Library The Advantages of Migrating to Windows Vista® and Office 2007 Simultaneously Gartner Paper: How IT Management can "Green" the Data Center Gartner Paper: US Data Centers - The Calm Before the Storm Should You Install Messaging Security Software on Your Exchange Server? SaaS Solutions for Remote Systems Management Learn-Fast Guide: Software as a Service is Growing Up Mobility @ the Speed of Business Sign up to receive Legislation/Regulation Resource Alerts

January 11, 2005 (IDG News Service) -- IBM is providing open-source software developers with access to 500 of its software patents, the company said today.
The patents will be available to any individual or company working on or using software that meets the Open Source Initiative's definitions of what constitutes open-source software, a company spokeswoman said. The pledge is the largest of its kind ever made, according to IBM, and is designed to spur further innovation.
The OSI is a nonprofit corporation that defines software as open-source when the source code is freely redistributed and modified by programmers. The OSI also requires that those modifications be freely distributed. Common examples include Linux and Apache. The OSI's full definition of open-source is available online.
IBM won't assert the 500 named patents against software meeting the OSI's open-source definition -- although it reserves the right to do so against any party filing a lawsuit asserting patents or other intellectual property rights against open-source software, according to its Web site.
The 500 patents include U.S. Patent No. 5,185,861, registered in 1993, which covers technology that helps microprocessors use their memory caches efficiently, and U.S. patent No. 5,617,568, registered in 1997, for allowing non-Windows-based systems to act as file servers for Windows-based clients, according to IBM Asia Pacific spokeswoman June Namioka.
Other examples include patents related to handwriting recognition, she said.
A list (download PDF) of the 500 patents concerned can be found on IBM's Web site.
IBM said it registered 3,248 patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2004. According to IBM, that was the highest number of patents registered with the Patent and Trademark Office by any company last year, and 2004 was the 12th consecutive year in which IBM ranked No. 1 in terms of number of patents filed.

Reprinted with permission from

IDG.net
Story copyright 2008 International Data Group. All rights reserved.

Print this Story

Send Us Feedback

E-mail this Story

Digg this Story

Slashdot this Story

"That the feds appear to be somewhat overzealous in prosecuting a software company for "trading with the enemy" may have..." Read more... "Recent developments regarding human bird flu deaths put the archipelago nation (and H5N1) back into play...." Read more... Read more Government & Regulation posts or See all Blogs

Microsoft: We'll help other vendors find, fix their bugs Free Windows XP tuneup: Put new life into an old workhorse Politics 2.0 heats up traditional summer doldrums Judge rejects student visa injunction sought by H-1B opponents Kaminsky: Many ways to attack with DNS TSA relaxes laptop screening rules this month Road-warrior conundrum: Laptop or handheld? First responders get more emergency communications options $12 Indian 'TV computer' a knockoff of '80s Nintendo system, not Apple II Jobs shakes up Apple management over MobileMe debacle More top stories...

Russian hacker gang steals with impunity, says researcher Microsoft promises 12 patches next week Credit card thieves ran a polite, professional help desk Bet on it: Employee wagers help companies predict the future Massive faux-CNN spam blitz uses legit sites to deliver fake Flash Search closing in on e-mail as most popular online activity, report says At LinuxWorld, problem-solvers hunt open-source solutions SQL Server 2008's future 'cloudy' as Microsoft releases new database Missing Registered Traveler laptop found New Google tool aims to provide more insight into online searches

How to configure and deploy the iPhone 3G for business, part 1 Before the iPhone will ever rival the BlackBerry in the workplace, IT admins need to know how to best activate and deploy it to their workers. Part 1 of a three-part series focuses on activation and configuration. All-screen clamshell concept phone: A glimpse of the future How do you make a phone with the smallest possible size, but the largest possible screen? Blogger Mike Elgan knows. How to build a free computer from spare parts Got a basement full of old components? Why not use them to build yourself a new PC? We show you how to do it.   Narcissists at work: How to deal with arrogant, controlling, manipulative bullies Narcissistic employees — yes, IT has its fair share — can wreak havoc in the office and put your own job at risk. Windows Vista A to Z Reviews, analyses, how-tos, visual tours, hot issues and predictions about Microsoft's new OS. More Continuing Coverage After 9/11: Homeland Security Apple's iPhone Ask a Premier 100 IT Leader Bill Gates steps down BlackBerry Legal Battle Data Security Breaches Electronic Voting Firefox H-1B Visas HP's Boardroom Scandal Handheld Devices Hurricane Katrina Aftermath Microsoft Legal Issues Microsoft's Vista Open Source RFID Technology SCO's Linux Fight Sarbanes-Oxley Act Spam Voice Over IP Wi-Fi Windows Meta File Vulnerability Windows XP Service Pack 3 IT Careers 2010 Four years from now, the IT field will be a vastly different place. Will you be ready? More Special Reports Premier 100 IT Leaders 2007 Best in Class 2006 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders 2006 Salary Survey 2007 Best Places to Work in IT 2007 IT Forecast 2007 Premier 100 IT Leaders 40 Years of Computerworld ASPs, Take Two Best Places to Work in IT 2003 Best Places to Work in IT 2004 Best Places to Work in IT 2005 Best Places to Work in IT 2006 Business Intelligence Home Runs Business Intelligence: Smarter BI Business Intelligence: The Future of BI CRM Goes Vertical CRM: Sober CRM Career Planning Guide 2005 Careers: IT Profession 2010 Computerworld Horizon Awards 2005 Data Management: Mining for Gems Data Management: Taming Data Chaos Development: Hard-Workin' Web Sites Development: New Tools New Choices Development: The New World of Application Development Development: The Web Services Tsunami Development: Web Services Hurdles Disaster Recovery: Preparing for the Worst E-commerce Grows Up E-mail/Groupware: Big Decisions Faces of Mobile IT Forecast 2006 Global Mobile Hardware: Multiple Cores, Multiple Challenges Hardware: On-Demand Un-Hyped Hardware: The Shape of Things to Come Horizon Awards: 10 Cool Cutting Edge Technologies IT Management: Guide to Managing Vendors IT Management: Navigating Global IT IT Management: Recovery Ahead IT Management: The Future of IT IT Management: The Resourceful Project Manager Innovative Technology Awards 2004 Management: Reinventing IT Microsoft in Transition Mobile/Wireless Leaders and Laggards Mobile/Wireless: The Untethered Worker Mobile/Wireless: Tiny Gadgets, Huge Costs Network Management: Taking Control Networking: Turbulence Ahead! Networking: VoIP Goes Mainstream Operating Systems: In the Slow Lane Operating Systems: Linux Goes Global Operating Systems: Should You Nix Unix? Outsourcing: Offshore Buyer's Guide Outsourcing: Outsourcing Dangers Premier 100 IT Leaders 2004 Best in Class Premier 100 IT Leaders 2005 Best in Class ROI: Do the Math! Salary Survey 2003 Salary Survey 2004 Salary Survey 2005 Security Action Plan Security: Compliance Headaches Security: Proactive Security Security: Risk and Reward Security: Tips From Security Pros Souped-up Security Storage: Battling Complexity Storage: Cheap & Secure Data Stores Storage: Stretching Your Storage Dollars Storage: The Lean Storage Machine Storage: The New Rules of Storage Storage: The Ultimate Backup Guide Supply Chain: Missing Links Supply Chain: RFID Reality Check The Business of Security Web 2.0 Security Wireless: Wireless At Work All Zones Application Performance Zone Business Continuity Zone Data Center Management Zone Enterprise-Class Security Zone The File Data Management Zone Security Management Zone ITIL Best Practices Zone The SAS Zone Storage Virtualization Zone Business Intelligence and Analytics Zone Identity & Security Management Zone See your link here

Computerworld Executive Briefing: The Compliance Era Get this briefing free (a $195 value), for a limited time, courtesy of VeriSign. The new Computerworld report, The Compliance Era, explains why regulatory compliance has zoomed to the top of the IT agenda and shows how real-world IT executives are dealing with the storage, security and privacy challenges. Get this briefing free (a $195 value), for a limited time, courtesy of VeriSign. Download this executive briefing  Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Long Tail Supplier Collaboration - What's In It For You? Download this webcast, free, compliments of Sterling Commerce Go to the webcast  Web Security SaaS: The Next Generation of Web Security Download this whitepaper, free for a limited time, compliments of Webroot Software! (Source: Webroot Software) The Web is the new threat vector of choice for hackers and cybercriminals to distribute malware and perpetrate identity theft, financial fraud, and corporate espionage. This paper outlines the challenges facing many SMBs and provides solutions for overall security effectiveness and reducing the burden on IT departments. Download this white paper  White Papers Read up on the latest ideas and technologies from companies that sell hardware, software and services. Archiving Compliance with Sunbelt Exchange Archiver The Impact of Messaging and Web Threats Web Security SaaS: The Next Generation of Web Security View more whitepapers

• Microsoft: We'll help other vendors find, fix their bugs
• Russian hacker gang steals with impunity, says researcher
• Free Windows XP tuneup: Put new life into an old workhorse
• More top stories 

Since You Asked A weekly storage column from storage analyst, Steve Duplessie of the Enterprise Strategy Group Click here to read the latest column by Steve Duplessie

Eliminate SPAM, Gain Productivity Learn all about the dangers and the costs of spam in all its forms – from stock-touting to spreadsheet. Also, understand the drawbacks of traditional hardware- and software-based defenses – and the unique benefits of MessageLabs multi-layered, managed Anti-Spam solution; as illustrated by a real-world case study where MessageLabs stopped spam cold. Download this white paper now!  See more Whitepapers

The Spy Files For Congress to do anything that helps protect consumers and the critical Internet infrastructure as a whole, it must pass laws that require proactive processes to protect computers, not that tell people how to deal with the resulting mess, says Ira Winkler. Click here to read the latest column by Ira Winkler

Customer Satisfaction with Email Archiving Systems Osterman Research conducted a primary survey asking organizations about a variety of archiving systems to understand the level of satisfaction that customers of Sunbelt Exchange Archiver (SEA) and other email archiving offerings report on a variety of metrics related to product and vendor performance. Download this white paper now!