[Bodington-developers] Fwd: Blackboard Patent Pledge

[Alistair Y. <ali...@sm...>]

why he sent to me is a mystery!

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Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Michael Chasen" <bbf...@bl...>
> Date: 1 February 2007 14:01:05 GMT
> To: <ali...@sm...>
> Subject: Blackboard Patent Pledge
> Reply-To: Blackboard <reply-=20
> EfXurQPQrTQ=3D-...@bl...>
>
> =09
> The Blackboard Patent Pledge
>
>
>
> February 1, 2007
>
> Dear Blackboard Community,
> I am writing to share some exciting news about a patent pledge =20
> Blackboard is making today to the open source and home-grown course =20=

> management community.  We are announcing a legally-binding, =20
> irrevocable, world-wide pledge not to assert any of our issued or =20
> pending patents related to course management systems or transaction =20=

> systems against the use, development or support of any open source =20
> or home-grown course management systems.
>
> We developed this pledge over several months with the help and =20
> dedication of various members of the e-Learning community, such as =20
> EDUCAUSE, Sakai and many Blackboard clients. We are very grateful =20
> for their time and counsel.  Without such a thoughtful and =20
> collaborative process, this sort of unprecedented pledge for a =20
> company of our size might not have been possible.
>
> =93We particularly welcome the inclusion of pending patents, the =20
> clarification on the commercial support, customization, hosting or =20
> maintenance of open source systems and the worldwide nature of =20
> Blackboard=92s pledge. We also appreciate the willingness of =20
> Blackboard to continue with frank and direct dialogue with our two =20
> organizations and with other higher education representatives and =20
> groups to work toward addressing these problems of community concern.=94=

> -Joint Statement of EDUCAUSE and Sakai Boards of Directors
>
> =93We wish to acknowledge the company=92s actions and express our =20
> appreciation to Blackboard in committing to continue to foster =20
> creativity and collaboration within the e-Learning community.  Such =20=

> a response can only benefit the teachers and practitioners, the =20
> learners, Blackboard, and indeed the wider e-Learning community.=94
> -Australasian Council on Open, Distance and E-Learning (ACODE)
>
> As a longstanding and leading member of the e-Learning community, =20
> we understand that Blackboard plays an important role in promoting =20
> the open exchange of ideas, collaboration and innovation. This =20
> pledge symbolizes our continued commitment to that role by agreeing =20=

> not to assert U.S. Patent No. 6,988,138 and many other pending =20
> patent applications as well as their international counterparts =20
> against the development, use or distribution of open source =20
> software or home-grown course management systems anywhere in the =20
> world, to the extent that such systems are not bundled with =20
> proprietary software.  This pledge also extends to the commercial =20
> support, hosting, customization and maintenance of such applications.
>
> So those using home-grown or open source systems, professors and =20
> teachers contributing to open source projects, open source =20
> initiatives, commercially developed open source add-on applications =20=

> to proprietary products and vendors hosting and supporting open =20
> source applications all are covered by this pledge.  In addition, =20
> we have extended the pledge to many specifically named open source =20
> initiatives within the course and learning management system space =20
> whether or not they may include proprietary elements within their =20
> applications, including Sakai, Moodle, ATutor, Bodington and Elgg.
>
> We are very pleased to take this formal step which is part of a =20
> larger effort on our part to engage more deeply with the e-Learning =20=

> community and help foster greater openness and interoperability.  =20
> We believe the pledge and the collaboration that brought it about =20
> will support and promote new innovation and the free flow of ideas =20
> across the global e-Learning community.
>
> The text of the Pledge which incorporates by reference a list of =20
> frequently asked questions, as well as the announcement press =20
> release may be found on our website at www.blackboard.com/patent.  =20
> If you have any questions about the Pledge, please contact =20
> Blackboard's Chief Legal Officer, Matthew Small, at =20
> ms...@bl....
>
> Thank you again for your continued partnership.
>
> Sincerely,
>
>
>
> Michael Chasen
> President and CEO
> Blackboard Inc.
>
>
>
> This email was sent to: ali...@sm...
>
> This email was sent by: Blackboard Inc.
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