Uptake of open source software hampered by unresolved patent and IP issues

eWeek.com reports that CIOs are wary of open-source enterprise apps, with many seeing unresolved patent and IP issues as a big drawback to using open source software. 

According to Venture Beat, “[i]t’s official. Southern California has overtaken New England as the nation’s second largest center of start-up activity.  […]  Venture capitalists invested $1.122 billion into Southern California companies during the first quarter, compared to only $984 million into the Northeast companies centered around Boston, according to VentureOne/Ernst & Young.”

On O’Reilly ONLamp.com, James Turner writes about the “virtues of monoculture”.  Turner points out that “what the open source community sees as a strength, people trying to get a job done in the real world see as a weakness.  We celebrate the diversity of choices available to solve a problem and call it freedom. IT managers and CIOs look at it and call it chaos, confusion and uncertainty.”

The International Herald Tribune reports that “China reiterated Tuesday that it would abide by the World Trade Organization’s rules in granting market access to overseas companies and cracking down on counterfeiters.”  However, at the same time China asserted that “U.S. complaints to the trade body have damaged ties” between the two countries.

CNetNews.com writes that “Amazon.com looks like it will become the latest company to try to take on Apple in the digital music marketplace.” Like Apple, Amazon has said it will sell tracks online without DRM.