Blackboard Pledges to Ease Enforcement of Controversial Patent

By DAN CARNEVALE

Blackboard Inc., responding to critics' complaints, has issued a "legally binding" pledge not to enforce its controversial patent against open-source-software providers or the institutions that use them.

The pledge, which can be found on Blackboard's Web site (http://blackboard.com/patent), specifically protects Sakai, Moodle, and ATutor — popular open-source projects that higher-education officials have said were being threatened by the Blackboard patent covering its

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Past Coverage

Patent Office Rejects Blackboard's E-Learning Patent in Preliminary Ruling - March 31, 2008
Second Request to Review a Patent - December 4, 2006
Courtroom Showdown Begins in Blackboard's Patent Dispute With Desire2Learn - February 13, 2008
Blackboard Sues Patent Office in Dispute Over Course Software - December 12, 2008
Blackboard's Patent Faces Challenge From Open-Source Advocates - December 15, 2006

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