A discussion of hybrid open source and proprietary licensing models.

["Marshall W. Van Alstyne" <marshall AT MIT.EDU>]

IBM seems to be reprising it's news from last Jan. about opening up its 
patent portfolio.  An interesting twist is that they mention an interest in 
taking the lead (perhaps publicity lead) in being more open, but it's all a 
big experiment.  There's almost no mention of a specific business model 
beyond fostering adoption and key standards.

There's also a hint late in the article that openness could be an attempt 
to head off unfavorable policy dcsns in the US, EU, and China.

TECHNOLOGY | April 11, 2005
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/11/technology/11ibm.html?ex=1113796800&en=2d9a68ffc58e2778&ei=5070>I.B.M. 
Hopes to Profit by Making Patents Available Free
By STEVE LOHR
I.B.M. is renowned for its big, rich storehouse of patented inventions. So 
why is it giving away some of its research for free?
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