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Red Hat Inc. Chief Executive Matthew Szulik said his company last year held
talks with Microsoft Corp over a patent agreement that broke down before
the software giant signed a deal with Red Hat rival Novell Inc.

In an interview with Reuters, Szulik declined to say whether his company is
now in negotiations with Microsoft over signing such a patent agreement.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/st...ectid=10449127

Mickey Mouse wrote:
> Red Hat Inc. Chief Executive Matthew Szulik said his company last year held
> talks with Microsoft Corp over a patent agreement that broke down before
> the software giant signed a deal with Red Hat rival Novell Inc.
>
> In an interview with Reuters, Szulik declined to say whether his company is
> now in negotiations with Microsoft over signing such a patent agreement.
>
> http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/st...ectid=10449127

Red Hat has previously made it clear that it is willing to improve
interoperability between Microsoft products and the Free World, but it is
certainly not willing to give any legitimacy to Microsoft's patent claims.

See, for example, this Microsoft Watch item
<http://www.microsoft-watch.com/content/corporate/the_reason_for_all_these_patent_deals.html>:

Before Microsoft and Novell made their historic pact last November,
apparently Red Hat talked agreement, too. But the Microsoft-Novell deal
collapsed over patent licensing. Novell wanted to talk interoperability
—and still does—but Microsoft wouldn't deal without a patent agreement,
too.

(I wonder if "Novell" shouldn't be "Red Hat" in the sentences after the
first.) And:

If Microsoft were truly serious about interoperability, an agreement
with Red Hat should be possible independent of any patent deal.
Microsoft's unwillingness to separate the two issues means that:

* Interoperability is not Microsoft's main motivation for cutting
these deals, contrary to the company's incessant PR blathering.

* Cross-licensing of patents are paramount to Microsoft when making
these agreements.