IBM Promises to Play Nice (Well, Kind Of): IBM announced that it will not use its patents against Linux, and it encouraged other software companies to make the same vow.
As the owner of 60 patents on which the Linux core might infringe, IBM could wreak havoc on Linux if it chose to do so. The new promise, delivered at LinuxWorld, emphasizes the company's commitment to open source . In a speech at the conference, however, IBM senior vice president Nick Donofrio said that in the future the company could be "forced to defend" itself through patent enforcement.