Submission + - Group purchases 22 patents to defend Linux (idg.com.au)
angry tapir writes: "A group of Linux proponents will purchase patents formerly held by Microsoft in an effort to defend distributors of the open-source OS against the ongoing threat of patent litigation from the software giant. The Open Invention Network (OIN), whose members include IBM and Red Hat, is set to purchase a set of 22 patents once held by Microsoft from Allied Security Trust (AST). They include Linux patents marketed and sold by Microsoft, some of which were previously held by Silicon Graphics, said Keith Bergelt, CEO of OIN, in an interview Tuesday."