Office 2007 Standard What do Linux vendors want wi

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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a group of open-source backers is poised to purchase 22 graphics patents previously the property of Microsoft.The patents in query seem to include some or all of the 3D-graphics-related ones that Microsoft purchased from SGI in 2002. Microsoft offered these patents earlier this 12 months to a third-party patent broker,Office 2007 Enterprise Key, Allied Protection Have confidence in (AST). The Journal reported on September 8 that AST is selling the patents towards the Open Invention Network (OIN), a group of companies such as IBM, Novell, Red Hat and Sony. The gist of the Journal;s tale is OIN members desire to acquire the graphics patents to head off prospective patent trolls who could possibly be thinking about acquiring them to use from open-source vendors.I;ve asked OIN,microsoft Office 2010 Activation, AST and Microsoft for far more info and also have however to hear back from any of them.Update: Microsoft responded Tuesday afternoon. Spokesperson Michael Marinello sent the subsequent statement:“We offered 22 patents to AST in July 2009. The terms were confidential. We acquired these patents several years ago as part of a larger business agreement with SGI.“We are constantly evaluating our patent portfolio – which recently received top ranking in the software industry — to ensure its makeup fits into the business goals with the organization. These patents were deemed to be non-core to our business and non-essential for our IP portfolio. When an interested buyer for this technology was identified,Microsoft Office 2007 Pro, after discussing it both internally and using the prospective buyer,Windows 7 Enterprise, we felt this was the right direction to go in relating to these specific patents.”Marinello advised me to get in touch with AST, as they own the patents now. I still have not heard back again from AST or OIN. But OIN issued a press release at 4 pm ET today confirming that it purchased the 22 patents from AST, but offering no extra data or particulars — not even a confirmation that the patents “read on Linux.” “To date, the Trust (AST) has invested $40 million in patent purchases over its 30 months of operations,” the release said.The original WSJ story leaves me with additional than a few questions: Lately, Linux vendors have been steeling themselves against the possibility of Microsoft pursuing them for alleged patent violations. But in this case — since Microsoft marketed these patents — who were the OIN members worried about? Which trolls were lurking?The Journal cites an OIN official claiming that Microsoft presented the graphics patents as being “Linux-related” when it auctioned them off earlier this 12 months. (Microsoft did not confirm this characterization in the Journal;s story.) If the patents really are Linux-related, I;d think Microsoft would have wanted to hold onto them, to give the company a leg up against its Linux competitors, rather than sell the patents off, claiming they weren;t germane to Microsoft;s core business.What, exactly, do these 22 patents cover? Back again in January 2002, The Register reported that Microsoft paid $63 million for SGI;s graphics patent portfolio. In July of that same yr, Microsoft was rattling the patent sabers over OpenGL. Microsoft officials said they had “possible claims” on a technology called vertex programming, a technology that controls 3D effects just like lighting. A ZDNet story from that time noted that “The claims caused some consternation within the OpenGL Architectural Review Board (ARB),Office 2007 Standard, which governs the specification.” Anything else about this transaction of interest to you (in case I do get to talk to any with the parties in query later today)?