Microsoft has released 60,000 patents free of charge, to protect Linux

Microsoft 's participation in the Open Invention Network (OIN) was announced. This will open up Microsoft's 60,000 patents open source to the OIN community and be available to Linux developers.

Microsoft Joins the Open Invention Network Community
https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/10/10/1619375/0/en/Microsoft-Joins-the-Open-Invention-Network-Community.html

Microsoft joins Open Invention Network to help protect Linux and open source | Blog | Microsoft Azure
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/microsoft-joins-open-invention-network-to-help-protect-linux-and-open-source/

Regarding software, copyright-free indication is explicit and easy to understand, but it is not so in terms of patented technology included in software, so even if there are attractive software technologies, it is difficult for developers to hand out There are often. In order to solve such problems and protect developers, OIN releases patents owned by software developers and offers them free of charge to other developers, encouraging mutual cross licensing, thereby making it possible for Linux and other Reduce patent risks in the development of open source software. At the time of writing, OIN offers a licensing platform in which 2650 members including 500 corporations from around the world participate.

It is announced that Microsoft will participate in this OIN, and approximately 60,000 patented technologies owned by Microsoft are released to developers free of charge. Keith Bergel, CEO of OIN said, "Open source development continues to expand within new products and markets, creating innovations that are unprecedented.With Microsoft participating in OIN, future development It showed me the importance of open source software for growth, "Microsoft welcomes participation in OIN participation.

Microsoft's Eric Andersen vice president, "Microsoft's decision to join the OIN that is contributing to protecting Linux and other open source software from patent risk is surprising for some people, "I will not hide the friction with the open source community about the problems of patents," he told the past history, "After joining OIN, Microsoft ' And reflects a more general view on open source, and that we are making progress. "

Microsoft started open source projects with .NET Core, TypeScript, VS Code, Powershell and others, starting with the opening of a part of ASP.NET in 2008.

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Also, the talk of Windows open sourcing pops out ...

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Distribution of "Ubuntu" at Microsoft store and releasing the Linux distribution "WLinux" on its own, such as the sense of distance with Microsoft's open source is a sense of a sense of age from the era of the former " anti-Linux activity " Yes.

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Andersen said, "We also learned that collaborative development through open source processes can accelerate innovation," and to establish a win-win relationship that ten years of open source efforts contribute to Microsoft's growth It seems that it succeeded. Either way, Microsoft's OIN affiliation is likely to be a pleasing event for open source software developers, including the Linux community.