Compliance Toolkit

Story: IBM patent sparks open source code rewrite

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It’s going to get harder, not easier as “open source” moves into newer technology areas – e.g., rfid. The fundamental work on technologies such as compilers, relational data bases and operating systems like Unix predate “software” or “business methods” patentability. However, more recent technologies are littered with such patents. Also, it is hard to write around patents that hold technology “high ground,” because the resulting open source or freeware product may be significantly compromised. In the end, it may be that the open source solution providers like Red Hat and Novell, etc. will have to collect royalties as well as collecting support fees.

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