> > IBM is threatening to pursue legal action against TurboHercules, a company > that sells services relating to the open source Hercules project, an > emulator that allows conventional computers with mainstream operating > systems to run software that is designed for IBM System Z mainframe > hardware.
> In a letter that IBM mainframe CTO Mark Anzani recently sent to > TurboHercules, Big Blue says that it has "substantial concerns" that the > Hercules project infringes on its patents. The letter is a brusque > half-page, but was sent with nine additional pages that list a > "non-exhaustive" selection of patents that IBM believes are infringed by the > open source emulator. > This move earned the scorn of well-known free software advocate and patent > reform activist, Florian Mueller. In a blog entry that was posted Tuesday, > Mueller fiercely criticized IBM, accusing the company of abusing its patent > portfolio and harming open source software in order to retain monopolistic > control over its expensive mainframe offerings. > "After years of pretending to be a friend of Free and Open Source Software > (FOSS), IBM now shows its true colors. IBM breaks the number one taboo of > the FOSS community and shamelessly uses its patents against a well-respected > FOSS project," wrote Mueller. "This proves that IBM's love for free and open > source software ends where its business interests begin." > He contends that IBM's support for open source software is insincere. As > evidence of the company's hypocrisy, Mueller points out that two of the > patents that IBM listed in its letter to Hercules are included in the list > of 500 patents that IBM promised to not assert against open source software > in 2005. Mueller is convinced that the patent promise was a manipulative > attempt to placate government regulators. http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2010/04/ibm-breaks-oss-patent-promise-targets-mainframe-emulator.ars -- Vítor Baptista Comissão Organizadora IV Encontro de Software Livre da Paraíba 6, 7, 8 e 9 de Maio de 2010 Estação Ciência, Cultura e Artes Cabo Branco João Pessoa, PB. http://www.ensol.org.br
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