IBM says it’s granting universal and perpetual access to patents that will help disparate software share information, a process known as interoperability.
The move is expected to make it easier for computing devices and software to be compatible with one another. It’s also designed to spur industry innovation, while discouraging litigation.
"IBM is sending a message that innovation and industry growth happens in an open, collaborative atmosphere," said Bob Sutor, IBM's Vice President of Open Source and Standards. "Users will adopt new technologies if they know that they can find those technologies in a variety of interchangeable, compatible products from competing vendors. We think customers will like this added assurance for the open standards upon which they have come to depend."
The more than 150 software specifications and protocols involved in the pledge underpin industry standards, such as those reflected in Web Services: programming, transactions and data exchanged on the Internet and Web.
In the past, all adopters of these specifications and protocols needed to secure royalty-free licensing terms from IBM. IBM says it hopes that others companies and intellectual property holders make similar commitments.
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IBM Pledges Free Access to Patents Involved in Implementing 150+ Software Standards (press release)