IBM has announced its decision to, in effect, release 500 of its currently held software patents so that developers can include them in projects including text recognition and database management without first having to gain a licence.
The company added that further patents will be released in an attempt to encourage innovation "to benefit customers, partners and society". Although the patents will remain under the ownership of IBM, no royalties will be sought.
Some sceptics say that what IBM is doing does not go far enough, bearing in mind the computer giant currently holds 40,000 patents and in 2004 was granted 3,248 new ones, having more than any other US company, according to the New York Times.
