IBM is granting developers unlimited access to a host of intellectual property governed by patents it holds that can be used to implement more than 150 standards designed to make software interoperable. The software specifications and protocols involved in the pledge underpin a range of key industry standards, including those used in Web services architectures and Internet data exchange, according to IBM. The specs are all endorsed, or moving toward endorsement, by industry groups such as the World Wide Web Consortium and Oasis, the company said Wednesday.
Previously, developers wanting to access the protocols would have had to license them from IBM.
