Slashdot Mirror
Deb Nicholson Talks About the Open Invention Network (Video)
The OIN (Open Invention Network) site's front page starts out by saying, "Open source software development has been one of the greatest sources of innovation. It has reduced costs, improved functionality and spurred new industries." After another few sentences it says, "Open Invention Network® is an intellectual property company that was formed to promote the Linux system by using patents to create a collaborative ecosystem." Go a little deeper, on the About page, and you learn that: "Patents owned by Open Invention Network® are available royalty-free to any company, institution or individual that agrees not to assert its patents against the Linux System. This enables companies to make significant corporate and capital expenditure investments in Linux — helping to fuel economic growth." Today's interviewee, Deb Nicholson, is the OIN's Community Outreach Director. We did a video interview with OIN CEO Keith Bergelt back in February. This one adds to what he had to say. And once again, we remind you: "...if you or your company is being victimized by any entity seeking to assert its patent portfolio against Linux, please contact [OIN] so that we can aid you in your battle with these dark forces." Make your first contact through Linux Defenders 911 -- and may the OIN be with you!
It only gives legitimacy to the corrupt patent system.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
What is this, FarkTV?
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
To make Oink... naturally... :)
For a company promoting Linux, it seems bizarre to me that their "Linux Defenders 911" page should rely on Flash.
You might recall Adobe essentially doesn't support Flash for Linux anymore.
Title: [Someone I've Never Heard Of] [Verb Phrase] [Something I've Never Heard Of]
Summary: Long, incomprehensible mess peppered with links, quotes, name dropping of more people I've never heard of, actual symbols for (R) or (TM), plus a video.
Analysis: Slashvertisement.
Judgment: Slashdot is stagnated.
I defy anyone to dispute the facts I have presented.
Not sure if they're trolling or if this is for real. It's a noble idea to try and protect the little guys, but you need a lot of capital to do that. It's going to cost a lot of money to defend against patent trolls. I think this is all going to end in tears. America invents turned into America prevents when it comes to ideas. At my job, where I work on medical devices to save people's lives, we were just given a a seminar by some patent-lawyer. He showed us how all our competitors are patenting the concept of sending a packet from a source to a destination on a medical device. Or, another where they are patenting the act of changing the texture skin of a button that you click on a touchscreen. At the end our entire development team was depressed and even one person said, "Well I guess we might as well give up on development entirely, they covered everything." No one laughed. Then the presenter said, "Whoa whoa! Hold on now this wasn't meant to depress you guys, it was meant to inspire you to show you anything is patentable, so let's get to it." Also not an inspiring comment.
Despite the snide comments here, I appreciate the work the OIN does, and wish more people would get involved. Perhaps if they did we'd have a better chance of getting software patents abolished, or at the very least made more trouble than it's worth. Thanks!
.. I was seriously grousing about the state of software patents just the other day while going about my day. Here is someone doing something about it. I appreciate that, and found this interesting.
Microsoft has been bilking industry groups out of money over supposed Linux patent violations for over a decade. OIN was supposed to be the stockpile that would prevent Apple, Microsoft, and others from pulling the trigger on software patents. Instead, you took all of the F/OSS patent pool energy and restricted it to narrow definitions of core Linux technologies.
Finally, you talked about how tiny companies can't stand up to Microsoft and patent trolls yet you won't use your stockpile to "aggressively" stop companies that you KNOW are hitting up dozens of smaller companies.
Stop parading yourself as the protectors of Linux, you couldn't even stop Oracle (whose core business relies on your software) from destroying all confidence in the Java platform. The day you stop the Android patent battles is the day you start earning your keep.
Is there anything better than clicking through Microsoft ads on Slashdot?
Open source has won a battle (ie. acceptance and widespread use) but could still lose the war. Patents are a minefield and I'm glad that OIN exists to at least offer some resistance on that front. We nerdy types are generally completely helpless in the legal world which is something we're not used to feeling, and this often manifests in a vague hostility and retreat from anything "legal" eg. software being released without a license, and blowing off the idea of contributing to a defensive patent pool. That's certainly not a winning strategy. Still, I'd say the few here that know the value are the ones most capable of contributing anyway... so, more power to your arm!
i love how idiots get on the interwebz and have a go at people for something they themselves know nothing about