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Re: [News] Lawyers Try to Bite FOSS, Novell/Microsoft Style

Mark Kent wrote:
Roy Schestowitz <newsgroups@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> espoused:
A company turns the Microsoft-Novell case into an open source business model

,----[ Quote ]
| Everybody seems to agree that software patents are bad: because of patent | trolls, because the patent system is broken and overwhelmed or because they | threaten FOSS. In short, people don?t want to pay for Linux. | | Yet even pro-open-source companies are making this argument that they have to | build a patent portfolio so that to be able to defend themselves, just in | case. Hey, even open source communities have adopted this ?I?m forced too? | stance. | | Therefore it was only a matter of time before an open source company decides | patents could be used to solidify open source dual-licensing schemes. Imagine | the deal between Microsoft and Novell erected into a widespread open source | dual-licensing scheme. Scary.

As I'm certain you can determine by reading my posts in this
news group, I have no technical training in computers.  I also
have no education beyond a high school diploma.  So this may
be a stupid question.  It may also seem off-topic for this
news group, but since I thought of the question solely based
on posts in this news group, I thought that I would return a
favor that has been done for me in this news group by posting
it here:

If open-source and pro-open-source companies apply for and
receive software patents for their software (ostensibly to
defend themselves in 'patent wars' that are initiated by
closed-source, proprietary software companies), doesn't that
introduce the danger that the open-source and pro-open-source
companies can be bought by closed-source companies (and then
their open-source patents belong to the closed-source
companies that bought them)?

Now comes another question:

If the answer to the preceding question is 'Yes',
what damage will be done to the 'open source' movement if
a closed-source company (such as Microsoft) buys out
a company that holds patents on open-source software?

Thanks in advance for all your answers and comments.

Kelton

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