PUBPAT and the Free XYZ folks are  aligned with “Opencores” on the Hardware side… 

Does anyone know anything about Opencores?

If you are interested in this stuff, check out www.opencores.org   These guys, have a community approach around microprocessor development and they have been admired by PUBPAT, etc.  Opencores and similar efforts to create patent infringing knock-offs are just another threat to the likes of Intel, AMD, ARM, etc.

Unfortunately for Opencores and the Free XYZ folks,…they can’t get around those pesky microprocessor patents.

On a related note, the Free XYZ people have been expanding adoption of their licensing scheme (commonly referred to as Open Source); their licensing scheme is GPL (GNU General Public License).  According to the European Union, in 2008, 20% of their IT budget will be under the guise of GPL: FREE SOFTWARE.  This translates into a huge shift in IT $$$ spend and Industry is definitely facing a transition away from proprietary approaches..

Let’s not forget that the Free XYZ folks obsessive in their belief that an “open” society with open/free software/hardware  will greatly enhance society.  They do not trust Intel, IBM, ARM, etc…; they don’t trust their motives or their ability to produce superior products (software/hardware).  Remember the words of PUBPAT’s Director:  “hardware that resists the freedom of software is a very dangerous form of counterrevolutionary resistance.”  As I stated earlier, the elimination of key patents on microprocessors is very important to these folks.