A survey of existing Linux patents
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The Linux world has been all atwitter since Acacia Technologies Group filed a lawsuit against Red Hat and Novell alleging that their versions of Linux infringe on three patents. Just how big is the risk to Linux from patent lawsuits? One indication may come from a look at current US patent publications related to or mentioning Linux. Computer programs, though often protected by copyright or trade secrets, cannot be directly patented unless they are used for something tangible, such as signal processing or hardware control. For example, an operating system could be patented as a business method or a method to control computer hardware. Even though Linux is open source, freeware, companies could hold patents that could be infringed by people using Linux in certain applications.
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