Well MS certainly does not have the same idea as to what their agreement says:
"Patent Agreement: The IP incentive system and software patents in particular,
are essential for fostering innovation and collaboration activities. This
agreement is the foundation of a new model for how open source and
proprietary software companies can work together to meet the needs of their
customers. It recognizes that patents are a valuable form of property for
both business models, and the agreement puts a framework in place for the
companies to share patents on commercially reasonable terms, enabling both
companies to recognize commercial value from their respective patent
portfolios. The companies have established a creative, simple, and reasonable
mechanism to gain access to each other's patent portfolio and provide their
customers with greater certainty and peace of mind with respect to the IP in
the products they are deploying.
I did discover that as soon as Novell had made their statement MS immediately
came out with a contradictionary statement like the one above. I have not
seen Novell disagree so it seems clear that what they told us is less than
completely truthful. Which fits in with what the one Novell employee said.
Basically that Novell just gave in and agreed to something they did not
really want to, so they could wrap up a deal which they had been trying to
get done for a long time.
--Steve Szmidt
"They that would give up essential liberty for temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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