December 15, 2006

Blackboard's Patent Faces Challenge From Open-Source Advocates

By DAN CARNEVALE

Blackboard Inc.'s patent for e-learning software, which academic critics say is overly broad and likely to stymie innovation in classroom technology, is facing a challenge to its validity.

The Software Freedom Law Center, an advocacy group for open-source software, asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month to re-examine the patent. And last week, Desire2Learn Inc., a software company, filed its own separate challenge.

Richard E. Fontana, a lawyer for the center, said

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