Open Source: Microsoft & Novell - Building Bridges
There has been great interest in the "Microsoft & Novell Building Bridges" Mass Technology Leadership Council meeting that was scheduled for Monday, January 29th. After a review of the areas that would be covered by questions provided in advance by attendees, it became clear that there needed to be other speakers better able to address those issues. Unfortunately, they were not available to be added in time. In order to make the session worthwhile for everyone, we are going to postpone the Monday, January 29th, session, but hope to reschedule in the next few months. The Council thanks Microsoft and Novell for all the effort they have put, and continue to put, into making this event possible and to the attendees for helping us tailor the event to their needs.
Speakers:
Dan Bricklin, President, Software Garden (moderator)
Susan Heystee, VP & General Manager, Global Strategic Alliances, Novell
John Palfrey, Executive Director, Berkman Center at Harvard Law School
Peter Rodriques, Director Customer Advocacy and IP Licensing, Microsoft Corporation
Our expert panel will discuss this agreement and related issues with heavy audience participation, as is the tradition of our Open Source group. Following is some of the material provided by Microsoft about issues relating to this agreement.
The Microsoft/Novell collaboration agreement is the result of Microsoft & Novell listening to its customers and the industry. Customers have asked us to reduce the potential risk as it relates to Intellectual Property and to reach out and improve technical interoperability with many operating environments including the Open Source model.
Technical Collaboration: Microsoft and Novell will work together to improve interoperability between commercial and open source software in three areas of vital importance to customers virtualization, Web Services management, and document format compatibility. The two companies will create a joint research facility at which Microsoft and Novell technical experts will architect and test new software solutions and work with customers and the community to build and support these technologies.
Patent Agreement: The IP incentive system and software patents in particular, are essential for fostering innovation and collaboration activities. This agreement is the foundation of a new model for how open source and proprietary software companies can work together to meet the needs of their customers. It recognizes that patents are a valuable form of property for both business models, and the agreement puts a framework in place for the companies to share patents on commercially reasonable terms, enabling both companies to recognize commercial value from their respective patent portfolios. The companies have established a creative, simple, and reasonable mechanism to gain access to each other's patent portfolio and provide their customers with greater certainty and peace of mind with respect to the IP in the products they are deploying.
Business Collaboration Agreement: This agreement describes the marketing, sales, and support commitments the companies will jointly undertake to promote this agreement and maximize customer benefits. For example, Microsoft will officially recommend SUSE Linux Enterprise for customers who want Windows-Linux solutions and Novell and Microsoft will be sponsoring an improved third-party customer support model for interoperable virtualization solutions.
