Open source support group
Open Invention
Network has acquired 22 Linux-focused patents recently sold by
Microsoft.
OIN, which was not invited by Microsoft to join the bidding
process, said the patents, which could have been used against Linux
products, had been acquired from Allied Security Trust (AST), which
had bought them from Microsoft.
"The prospect of these patents being placed in the hands of
non-practicing
entities was a threat that has been averted with these
purchases," said OIN CEO Keith Bergelt said in a statement.
The move will also protect Linux users from lawsuits similar to
the one Microsoft brought against satellite navigation maker
TomTom.
Microsoft claimed that TomTom's use of Linux violated its FAT
filesystem patent.
Dan McCurdy, CEO of AST, said OIN's purchase ensures that these
important patents will not be used by so-called
patent
trolls or others seeking to disrupt Linux and the many
companies and individuals advancing this important technology.
OIN was set up in 2005 and members include IBM, Sony, Red Hat,
Google and TomTom, which
settled with Microsoft for an undisclosed sum in March.