The NOSE points to today's news release from Sakai announcing that the Sakai Foundation has retained the Software Freedom Law Center to evaluate and "advise on legal matters" regarding the Blackboard patent. Indiana University runs Sakai (OnCourse) for my online Master's program, so I will have a bird's eye view as this plays out. The Foundation puts the skunk on the table by stating in the release:
"The recent announcement by Blackboard that it is attempting to assert patent rights over simple and longstanding online technologies as applied to the area of course management systems and e-learning technologies, and its subsequent litigation against a smaller commercial competitor constitutes a threat to the effective and open development of software for higher education and the values underlying such open activities. Sakai has engaged the SFLC to assess and respond to the patent, but the Foundation believes that the core issue is much broader than the current technology in question. Sakai is working with the SFLC and others of like mind to develop a long term common defense effort, and encourages everyone to contribute to the SFLC to support its efforts now and in the future to aggressively challenge bad patents in the area of educational and research software."