Wow...today I heard that Microsoft bought the OpenGL patents from SGI...can anyone verify?

[Noriaki]

Wow...today I heard that Microsoft bought the OpenGL patents from SGI...can anyone verify?

A good friend of mine told me this, he's in the early stages of a career in OpenGL design, and he's a good friend. I doubt he'd make something like this up, but it's possible he's been misinformed somewhere.

Has anyone heard anything about this? Any idea where I can get a verification (either positive or negative) on this?


And if it is true, what does it mean for OpenGL? Is it dead in the water?

 

[Soccerman]

MS doesn't OWN OpenGL patents AFAIK, I think they are simply using tricks that OpenGL does, rather than make a different way to do the same thing or fight court battles by not acknowledging the patent.

 

[Noriaki]

Ahhh so they are licensing then?

Okay...Licensing, Buying, big difference...

Thanks...my heart just about stopped there when Brent said that

 

[KenAF]

Microsoft licensed OpenGL a long, long time ago.

 

[KeithP]

Here is an article detailing what MS purchased from SGI.

 

[NukemAll]

There is nothing in that article which suggest M$ bought opengl patents, which would be very difficult since openGL is "Open" as the name implies and no one owns any patents on it, not to mention that it is software, so it ain't something that can be patented. The article, in fact, refers to OpenGL as a "Rival API." And what it is a rival to? DirectX! Microsoft bought patents on graphics technology, technology as in HARDWARE. You can't patent software, you can only copywrite it.