11.06.15

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Summary of the Red Hat-Microsoft Patent Agreement of 2015

Posted in Microsoft, Patents, Red Hat at 2:10 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Analysis does require a closer look (because Red Hat doesn’t tell the full story)

Red Hat with glasses

Summary: A detailed record of what Red Hat has just done with Microsoft, as explained by Techrights and as (poorly) explained by unsuspecting corporate media

TECHRIGHTS has, over the past couple of days, prepared a comprehensive media survey (60+ article) about the Microsoft-Red Hat deal and their successful spin/cover-up (regarding patents). This was previously covered here in the following posts:

  1. Media Coverage of the Red Hat-Microsoft Deal Includes Microsoft Talking Points and Moles, No Discussion About Patent Aspects
  2. Red Hat’s Deal With Microsoft Resurrects Fears of Software Patents Against GNU/Linux and Introduces ‘Triple-Dipping’ of Fees
  3. More Information Emerges About the Microsoft-Red Hat Patent Agreement
  4. Red Hat Sells Out With a Microsoft Patent Deal

There are many links in there, along with some more links in the comments.

Red Hat’s latest deal with Microsoft definitely included a patent agreement, so this goes further than the 2009 virtualisation deal which was covered here in the following articles:

  1. Summary of the Red Hat-Microsoft Story
  2. Novell the Biggest Loser in New Red Hat-Microsoft Virtual Agreement
  3. Red Hat-Microsoft Agreement Not Malicious, But Was It Smart?
  4. Red Hat-Microsoft: Take III

Below is a complete list of what we were able to find in the media [2-64] yet haven’t cited (not until now anyway). None of it mentioned the patent aspects (unless it’s just hidden away in some distant sentence or paragraph), not because such aspects don’t exist but because Red Hat did a fine job hiding it (way to go, “Open Organisation”), or at least downplaying it. The criticism from Sam Varghese and yours truly got mentioned in [1] earlier today.

“The media framed this the same way it was told by Red Hat and Microsoft.”Journalism is supposed to involve independent analysis or an audit of events, not repetition of official narratives from companies that have so much to gain financially (that’s what the deal was all about, even at the expense of patent security in the Free software world). The media framed this the same way it was told by Red Hat and Microsoft. Almost nobody went further or delved any deeper. Red Hat’s culture of secrecy can also be seen when it comes to the company's patent settlements and special relationship with the NSA (they cooperate on code and the NSA is a huge client of Red Hat). We about this back in 2013 [1, 2, 3, 4], then saw the story resurfacing this year (because it turned out that illegal and unconstitutional mass surveillance is done using RHEL).

It is going to be interesting to see what happens to SUSE at the end of this year because its coupons/patent deal expires on January 1st (the press release said that “both vendors are also resolving intellectual property concerns”). █

Related/contextual items from the news:

  1. Underneath the Red Hat Microsoft Deal, Bodhi is Five

    However, Dr. Roy Schestowitz isn’t celebrating. In fact, he said the deal could very well put many distributions out of business (so to speak) and Red Hat users at risk. He said the deal involves patent agreements and data collection. It’s all about money according to Schestowitz who said, “At Red Hat money now matters more than freedom and ethics.” For Microsoft it’s about double and triple taxing users in addition to collecting and selling their data. Red Hat isn’t interested in defending GNU/Linux against patent trolls and instead pays out to settle cases and now signs a patent deal according to Schestowitz and his quoted and linked sources. Microsoft has and is continuing to pursue lawsuits against Open Source entities. Nasdaq.com said on the subject Microsoft is known for “aggressively seeking royalties from its software patents” then quoted Red Hat’s Paul Cormier saying, “We both know we have very different positions on software patents. We weren’t expecting each other to compromise.”We weren’t expecting each other to compromise.” So, at least one other site covered the patent situation, even if not in depth. Red Hat stock closed at $82.75 after the announcement Wednesday and finshed up today, Thursday, at 81.57.

    Sam Varghese today asked, “With two companies — Microsoft and Red Hat — from opposite ends of the software spectrum linking arms in a deal overnight, the big question that remains is: what happens to the SUSE-Microsoft deal?” He suggests SUSE might not get the same level of assistance it once did now. But then again, he also speculated that the deal is “unlikely to earn any criticism from the open source community” as it SUSE did. I guess he hasn’t read Schestowitz lately.

  2. Microsoft and Red Hat Reach Linux Deal
  3. Microsoft, Red Hat Finally Make It Official
  4. Microsoft brings Red Hat Enterprise Linux to Azure
  5. Red Hat and Microsoft become partners in the cloud
  6. Red Hat Enterprise Linux lands on Microsoft Azure cloud – no, we’re not pulling your leg
  7. Microsoft partners with Red Hat for hybrid cloud solutions
  8. Microsoft (MSFT), Red Hat (RHT) Enter Azure-Related Partnership
  9. Red Hat OS on Microsoft Azure: Now It’s Easy
  10. Microsoft Joins Hands With Red Hat To Bring Enterprise Linux To Azure Cloud Platform
  11. Microsoft, Red Hat Partner For Linux On Azure
  12. Microsoft and Red Hat announce cloud partnership, show .NET a few love
  13. Shocker: Microsoft and Red Hat Team-up
  14. Red Hat-Microsoft partnership means a ‘co-location’ of engineers
  15. Nadella delivers another shocker as Microsoft embraces Red Hat in cloud alliance
  16. Microsoft and Red Hat join forces to help ease enterprises into hybrid cloud
  17. Red Hat Enterprise Linux to become officially supported on Azure (at last)
  18. Microsoft improves enterprise cloud by making Azure available on Red Hat Linux
  19. Major Red Hat & Microsoft Partnership Around Cloud and .NET on Linux
  20. Major Red Hat & Microsoft Partnership Around Cloud and .NET on Linux
  21. Microsoft partners with Red Hat on hybrid cloud computing
  22. Microsoft and Red Hat announce partnership
  23. Microsoft, Red Hat Strike Broad Cloud Alliance
  24. Microsoft signs cloud deal with Red Hat
  25. Microsoft Plays Nice With Open Source Rival Red Hat
  26. Microsoft and Red Hat Make Cloud Pact
  27. Microsoft, Red Hat in deal to boost hybrid cloud computing
  28. Microsoft, Red Hat Collaborate To Put Linux on Azure
  29. Microsoft Corporation, Red Hat Bury The Hatchet, Offer New Enterprise Cloud Standard
  30. Red Hat, Microsoft Partner on Open Source Solutions for Azure Cloud
  31. Microsoft and Red Hat form cloud partnership
  32. Microsoft joins with Red Hat to make hybrid cloud adoption easier
  33. Microsoft to offer Red Hat Linux on Azure cloud
  34. Finally, Red Hat and Microsoft join hands to bring Linux on Azure
  35. Microsoft teams up with Red Hat for enterprise cloud solutions
  36. What’s behind the odd couple Microsoft-Red Hat partnership
  37. Red Hat Enterprise Linux to be Available on Microsoft Azure Cloud Service
  38. Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE:RHT) Struck Up A Major New Alliance For Cloud Computing- CDW Corporation (NASDAQ:CDW), MaxLinear, Inc. (NYSE:MXL)
  39. Microsoft and Red Hat join hands for Linux on Azure
  40. Analyst: Red Hat, Microsoft deal could lead to Amazon partnership
  41. Microsoft Corporation Partners With Red Hat Inc For Its Cloud Service
  42. Microsoft Partners with Red Hat; MariaDB Released on Azure
  43. Why Did Microsoft Corporation Paint Its Cloud Red?
  44. Red Hat Teams With Microsoft To Create Improved Cloud Experience
  45. Microsoft and Red Hat Take Over Cloud Market
  46. Red Hat and Microsoft strike historic Linux-Azure union
  47. Microsoft and Red Hat partner up for enterprise hybrid cloud
  48. Microsoft and Red Hat announce enterprise cloud partnership
  49. Microsoft And Red Hat To Bring .NET To Linux
  50. Red Hat, Microsoft Deal Keeps Customers, Stock Aloft
  51. Microsoft announces partnership with Red Hat
  52. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Joined Forces with Red Hat (NYSE:RHT) To Improve Cloud Computing Service- Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH), Qlik Technologies (NASDAQ:QLIK)
  53. Armistice Signed: Red Hat, Microsoft Change the Landscape
  54. Microsoft and Red Hat Partner on Massive Hybrid Cloud Deal
  55. Microsoft and Red Hat to deliver new standard for enterprise cloud experiences
  56. Microsoft just buried the hatchet with another huge and bitter rival, Red Hat
  57. Red Hat Linux Enterprise is Reference Platform for .NET Core on Linux
  58. Microsoft partners with Red Hat to deliver native cloud solutions
  59. Microsoft Azure Adds Red Hat Support
  60. Microsoft Partners with Red Hat On Enterprise Linux for Azure
  61. Microsoft, Red Hat ink Azure/Linux cloud deal (updated)
  62. Microsoft to make Red Hat Linux available on Azure
  63. At Last! Microsoft and Red Hat Sign Cloud Pact
  64. Bromance Between Microsoft And Linux Will Take Place In The Cloud
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