Mark Webbink On: The Patent Promise
by T. Colin Dodd
Download this video: [Ogg Theora]
This week, former Red Hat General Counsel, Mark Webbink, discusses how Red Hat’s patent promise was developed to combat patent trolling.
And two previous installments on the GPLV3 and Software Patents in general are available below the fold.
Download this video: [Ogg Theora]
Mark Webbink, former Red Hat General Counsel discusses the GPLv3 and talks about the limits of sharing, the mellowing out of Linus Torvalds, and issues with the LGPLv3.
And don’t miss Mark’s latest Walking With Elephants post, Half A Loaf, about the Microsoft settlement in the EU.
Download this video: [Ogg Theora]
Mark Webbink, former Red Hat General Counsel discusses software patents, their absurdity and the business climate and “judicial activism” that helped create them.
Feel free to download and disseminate this interview so long as you give us some attributions and don’t remix it.
November 5th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Red Hat clarifies that their Patent Promise extends only to suppliers.
Last week, I posted that it was unfair for Red Hat to complain that Microsoft does not give free patent licenses to its competitors, when it doesn’t either. I explained that Red Hat’s Patent Promise extends a promise not to
November 5th, 2007 at 5:40 pm
You promised I would learn more, and I did. Among other things, I learned that I read the Patent Promise right - it does not extend to competitors, only suppliers.
I still believe that it is unfair to expect a competitor to give non-reciprocated free licenses. There’s competition and there’s expecting another to be your sacrificial lamb. There is a piece on the ACT weblog now, which discusses the benefits of a defensive promise.
http://blog.actonline.org/2007/11/red-hat-clarifi.html
You and your readers might want to check it out. I appreciate the discussion.