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Difference between revisions of "Red Hat"

('''Red Hat''' is a software company which lobbies against software patents.)
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In response to a 2008 proposal in [[India]] to change the patents manual to allow software patents, Red Hat submitted a letter arguing to continue excluding software from patentability.<ref>http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/patent/Patent_Manual_Feedback/REDHAT_INDIA_PVT._LTD._NEW_DELHI.pdf</ref>
 
In response to a 2008 proposal in [[India]] to change the patents manual to allow software patents, Red Hat submitted a letter arguing to continue excluding software from patentability.<ref>http://ipindia.nic.in/ipr/patent/Patent_Manual_Feedback/REDHAT_INDIA_PVT._LTD._NEW_DELHI.pdf</ref>
  
==Litigation by and against==
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==Litigation==
  
 
===By Red Hat===
 
===By Red Hat===

Revision as of 09:17, 16 November 2010

Red Hat is a software company which lobbies against software patents.

Lobbying against software patents

USA: Bilski submissions

Red Hat filed strongly anti-software-patent briefs for both the 2008 in re Bilski case and the 2009 Bilski v. Kappos case.

EU anti-swpat lobbying

During the EU Software Patents directive, Red Hat financed the No Software Patents campaign. Their counsel at the time Mark Webbink was also regularly in the European Parliament.[1]

Anti-swpat lobbying in India

In response to a 2008 proposal in India to change the patents manual to allow software patents, Red Hat submitted a letter arguing to continue excluding software from patentability.[2]

Litigation

By Red Hat

No known cases. (And no reason to think there have been any.)

Against Red Hat

SOAP patent controversy

Red alert.png Section need checking: The accuracy of this section should be checked. Discussion of the possible problems can be found on the talk page in the section Talk:Red Hat#SOAP controversy

Despite lobbying against software patents, Red Hat has raised some concerns when it began applying for software patents related to SOAP communication. Red Hat offers a non-aggression patent promise, but this promise is indeed a "promise", not a licence, and it's not irrevocable. Thus, if Red Hat had a change of management or was bought out, these patents could be used aggressively. The promise is also limited to only protecting the free software community.

While Red Hat previous owned software patents, these were just incidentally acquired when Red Hat bought other companies. The SOAP patent was worrying because it was the first act showing intent/desire to hold patents in its area of activity.

Press coverage

Related pages on ESP Wiki

External links

Related to Fedora

Fedora is a partly independent project with large involvement from Red Hat.

References