The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a group of open-source backers is poised to buy 22 graphics patents previously the home of Microsoft. patents in question appear to consist of some or each of the 3D-graphics-related ones that Microsoft bought from SGI in 2002. Microsoft sold these patents previously this year to a third-party patent broker, Allied Safety Believe in (AST) . The Journal noted on September 8 that AST is marketing the patents to your Open Invention Network (OIN), a group of companies this includes IBM,
Office 2007 Pro Key, Novell,
Buy Office 2007, Red Hat and Sony. The gist for the Journal's tale is OIN members need to decide to purchase the graphics patents to head off possible patent trolls who will probably be interested in acquiring them to utilize against open-source vendors. asked OIN,
Windows 7, AST and Microsoft for even more advice and have but to hear back from any of them. Microsoft responded Tuesday afternoon. Spokesperson Michael Marinello sent the subsequent statement: fundamental for our IP portfolio. When an interested purchaser for this technological innovation was recognized,
Office 2007 Pro Plus, following discussing it both equally internally and along with the possible purchaser, we felt this was the ideal course to go in relating to these certain patents. recommended me to obtain in contact with AST, as they individual the patents now. I even now have not heard back again from AST or OIN. But OIN issued a press release at 4 pm ET now confirming that it obtained the 22 patents from AST, but offering no further advice or facts - not even a confirmation that the patents . unique WSJ story leaves me with more than a handful of questions: Linux vendors are already steeling themselves versus the potential of Microsoft pursuing them for alleged patent violations. But in this particular case - seeing that Microsoft offered these patents - who have been the OIN members worried about? Which trolls were lurking?
The Journal cites an OIN official claiming that Microsoft introduced the graphics patents as currently being , I'd consider Microsoft would have wanted to hold onto them,
Purchase Office 2007, to offer the business a leg up towards its Linux rivals, as opposed to market the patents off, claiming they weren't germane to Microsoft's core company.
What, exactly, do these 22 patents cover? Again in January 2002, The Register reported that Microsoft compensated $ 63 million for SGI's graphics patent portfolio. In July of that same exact year, Microsoft was rattling the patent sabers about OpenGL. Microsoft officials mentioned they'd