LG Acquires WebOS Source Code and Patents From HP 80
An anonymous reader writes "LG is set to breathe new life into the webOS platform after the company announced today that it has acquired the software and its intellectual property from HP. The news comes after HP abandoned webOS device and software development in August 2011, then open-sourced the platform so that developers might be able to salvage something from the software that was widely acclaimed, despite the lack of smartphone and tablet sales which it powered. LG now claims complete ownership of the webOS source code, its documentation and webOS websites. It has obtained HP licenses, as well as the patents that Palm transferred to its owner when it was acquired in 2010."
Re:The Curse is transferred (Score:5, Insightful)
Or, conversely, maybe it has a chance to thrive if it's being maintained by people who have an idea of what to do with it?
I don't know much about WebOS, but the fact that HP basically mis-managed it and did a half assed job is more about HP.
Now, as to whether anybody is actually going to be interested in yet-another-operating-system ... who knows.
Re:The Curse is transferred (Score:2, Insightful)
LG probably just wanted the patents.
Re:Can they do that? (Score:4, Insightful)
They don't have to revoke anything. They have copyright.
I own copyright on book X.
I license A to produce 200 copies for resale
I license B to make a made for TV movie with unlimited distribution and I get a cut.
A can't use B's license and B can't use A's license.
Copyright holders can release things on as many licenses as they want.
Re:The Curse is transferred (Score:2, Insightful)
If it is to survive they need to completely Open source it.
Android will utterly destroy it in the commercial world, HP already discovered that. WebOS has zero chance as a product unless it is reworked as a Closed device OS for ATM's or Single Task products. But even then it will completely die. That world is already owned by QNX.
Re:Interesting...but.... (Score:2, Insightful)