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New group to share Linux patents

By Tracy Burrows, ITWeb contributor.
Johannesburg, 11 Nov 2005

New group to share Linux patents

IBM, Sony, Philips and Linux distributors Red Hat and Novell are to form a new company - Open Invention Network (OIN) - to share Linux patents without charging for royalties, reports Eweek.com.

OIN`s plan will be to acquire Linux-related patents and share them royalty-free to any organisation that agrees not to assert its patents against Linux or its applications.

These companies are doing this because "impediments to collaboration on the Linux operating system seriously jeopardise innovation", said Jerry Rosenthal, newly appointed OIN CEO.

MGM backs Blu-Ray format

MGM has become the latest movie studio to support Sony`s Blu-Ray next-generation disc format, reports pocket-lint.co.uk.

The announcement shows the Sony-backed disc format is gaining greater support over Toshiba`s HD DVD offering in the studio world.

Major studios like Warner Brothers and Paramount have also recently come out in support of Blu-Ray.

Microsoft memos call for action

Leaked internal memos written by Microsoft CTO Ray Ozzie and chairman Bill Gates have expressed concern over loss of technology leadership and called for renewed action, reports VnuNet.com.

Ozzie`s memo stated that the company had failed to achieve leadership in key areas of technology. He highlighted Apple, Google and Skype as threats.

Gates stated that Microsoft is facing a "sea change".

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