(FOSS) Putting their money where their mouth is...

IBM Pledges 500 U.S. Patents To Open Source In Support Of Innovation And Open Standards

They're basically saying "if you sue any open source project, you better be sure you're not violating any of our patents". And for those of you who think this is a shot across SCO's bows, Open Source's favourite paralegal, Paula Jones, says in a well-researched article that analyses comments from the BBC, the Washington Post, Reuters, etc:

"The Windows patent strategy is so over. And the next time Bill Gates tries to call this new kind of software development a kind of modern-day communism, as he did so offensively the other day, people will simply laugh in his face. Thank you, IBM. Thank you."

Excerpt from the PDF linked in the Press Release:

"In order to foster innovation and avoid the possibility that a party will take advantage of this pledge and then assert patents or other intellectual property rights of its own against Open Source Software, thereby limiting the freedom of IBM or any other Open Source Software developer to create innovative software programs, the commitment not to assert any of these 500 U.S. patents and all counterparts of these patents issued in other countries is irrevocable except that IBM reserves the right to terminate this patent pledge and commitment only with regard to any party who files a lawsuit asserting patents or other intellectual property rights against Open Source Software."