p2pnet - rss feed: Novell, EFF ‘patent reform’ deal
p2pnet.net news:- Novell and the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) say they’ve teamed up to work on software patent reforms worldwide.
Stung by international criticism levelled because of its patent cross licensing and technical pact with Microsoft, Novell says it’ll work with the EFF to lobby governments and national and international organizations to develop legislation and policies around patents designed to promote innovation.
“A key area of focus will be the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), where member governments of the United Nations meet to coordinate positions on intellectual property issues,” says the EFF, going on:
“In addition, Novell will contribute significant resources to EFF’s ongoing ‘Patent Busting’ project” launched in 2004 to attack patents that, “impose particularly heavy burdens on software developers and Internet users by identifying prior art that can be used to invalidate those patents and by pursuing invalidation of those patents through re-examination efforts”.
Taking literally the saying a picture is worth a thousand words, Ars Technica summed up the Microsoft-Novell deal in brilliant cartoon strip-like series of images and pictures.
The agreement, “stinks to high heaven” said Nicholas Petreley in the Linux Journal.
Novell holds more than 500 patents, “many of which are fundamental to technologies in the market today,” says the EFF.
It’ll also, “share details of its patent pact with Microsoft this month in a regulatory filing that has been delayed by a stock option investigation,” says ZDNet UK.
“Novell plans to reveal the details in conjunction with filing its upcoming annual report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), spokesman Bruce Lowry said on Wednesday at the Open Source Business Conference in San Francisco,” says the story, going on, “The report has been held up by Novell’s investigation into its stock option compensation practices.”
Also See:
EFF - Novell and EFF Team Up to Reform Software Patents, May 23, 2007
Ars Technica - A picture is worth a thousand words, January 28, 2007
Linux Journal - A five year deal with Microsoft to dump Novell/SUSE, November 8, 2006
ZDNet UK - Novell to share details of Microsoft pact, May 24, 2007
f your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, here for the p2pnet download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
rss feed: http://p2pnet.net/p2p.rss | | Mobile - http://p2pnet.net/index-wml.php | | And use free p2pnet newsfeeds for your site
Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
