Why only just now ? [LWN.net]

Why only just now ?

Posted Jan 12, 2005 0:23 UTC (Wed) by khim (subscriber, #9252)
Parent article: IBM frees 500 patents

I'm really surprised they waited for so long.

Why?

It's perfectly logical thing to do. IBM is not on RMS-style crusage. They see solid business sense in free software: sometimes it's better to work with your competitors and create huge market then to try to keep pushing each other and "own" part of tiny market. Yet it only works if all competitors are honest. The one who'll grab piece of software co-owned by all competitors will gain unfair advantage in short term - thus hurting IBM! And when there are competitors like Microsoft in the fray "honest competitor" looks like oxymoron.

What to do ? Do not cooperate ? They tried in past - it does not work. Ok. So they need some "big bludgeon" to forcefully keep competitors honest. Licenses are good and all but it's hard to prove if it's violation or not if source is not open (see MPlayer vs KISS, for example). What to do ? Grant bunch of petents to free software: this way anyone who's writing free software is not affected but when code is appropriated by dishonest competitor it becomes quite effective "big bludgeon": it does not matter if code was actually copied or not - if patented algorythm is used they must comply.

Quite ingenious use of patent portfolio in defence of IBM's own ass - will it help free software movement or not in long term is another story.

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