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Yahoo Claims Patents For Open Source Technologies

Facebook is really into the open source movement. Just looking at their developer’s page should tell you that they care about developers and aim to provide them with the best in open source deve...
Yahoo Claims Patents For Open Source Technologies
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  • Facebook is really into the open source movement. Just looking at their developer’s page should tell you that they care about developers and aim to provide them with the best in open source development tools. Yahoo has open sourced some of their technologies, but now claim to own the patents to more open source technologies in the latest round of their lawsuit against Facebook.

    Pandodaily reports that Yahoo recently updated its court filings to include open source technologies that Facebook uses within its infrastructure. In total, Yahoo is bringing an extra 16 patents into the fray that they claim to be relevant to the case at hand.

    So what technologies are we talking about here? According to Pandodaily, Yahoo claims patents to memcached which they point out was actually created by LiveJournal and has been in use by every other Internet company since. Yahoo also claims patents on Open Computer, which was created by Facebook; Tornado, a python-based Web server’; and HPHP, software that converts PHP into C++.

    Facebook isn’t one to take this lightly and points out that Yahoo has now become the ultimate patent troll. They’re not only targeting Facebook, but the open source movement as well. They say that the patents they are trying to defend are used by other “innovative, forward-thinking companies.” There might be something in there that alludes to a Yahoo that should start innovating instead of just suing.

    Yahoo’s attempt at extorting money from Facebook through patent trolling is reminiscent of the patent troll in Texas who claimed to own the interactive Web. It’s a desperate attempt at a cash grab and doesn’t serve to protect IP or the software that is created.

    Here’s hoping the judge understands how ridiculous Yahoo’s latest patent claims are. Facebook is not the only one at risk anymore. Yahoo has become an enemy of the Web development community, a community they claim to cater, by attacking these latest technologies.

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