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The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a group of open-source backers is poised to purchase 22 graphics patents formerly the property of Microsoft.The patents in query appear to incorporate some or all of the 3D-graphics-related ones that Microsoft purchased from SGI in 2002. Microsoft marketed these patents earlier this yr to a third-party patent broker, Allied Safety Have confidence in (AST). The Journal noted on September 8 that AST is selling the patents to the Open Creation Network (OIN), a group of organizations which includes IBM,Office 2007 Ultimate, Novell, Red Hat and Sony. The gist of the Journal;s tale is OIN members would like to obtain the graphics patents to head off prospective patent trolls who might be interested in acquiring them to use towards open-source vendors.I;ve asked OIN, AST and Microsoft for more data and have but to listen to back again from any of them.Update: Microsoft responded Tuesday afternoon. Spokesperson Michael Marinello sent the following statement:“We marketed 22 patents to AST in July 2009. The terms were confidential. We acquired these patents several years ago as part of a larger business agreement with SGI.“We are constantly evaluating our patent portfolio – which recently received top ranking in the software industry — to ensure its makeup fits into the business goals of the organization. These patents were deemed to be non-core to our business and non-essential for our IP portfolio. When an interested buyer for this technology was identified, after discussing it both internally and with all the possible buyer, we felt this was the right direction to go in relating to these specific patents.”Marinello advised me to get in touch with AST, as they own the patents now. I still have not heard back again from AST or OIN. But OIN issued a press release at 4 pm ET today confirming that it purchased the 22 patents from AST,Office Home And Student 2010 Key, but offering no further details or details — not even a confirmation that the patents “read on Linux.” “To date, the Rely on (AST) has invested $40 million in patent purchases over its 30 months of operations,” the release said.The original WSJ story leaves me with extra than a few questions: Lately, Linux vendors have been steeling themselves from the possibility of Microsoft pursuing them for alleged patent violations. But in this case — since Microsoft sold these patents — who were the OIN members worried about? Which trolls were lurking?The Journal cites an OIN official claiming that Microsoft presented the graphics patents as being “Linux-related” when it auctioned them off previously this yr. (Microsoft did not confirm this characterization in the Journal;s tale.) If the patents really are Linux-related, I;d think Microsoft would have wanted to hold onto them, to give the company a leg up against its Linux competitors,Office 2007 Enterprise Key, rather than sell the patents off, claiming they weren;t germane to Microsoft;s core business.What,Office Pro Plus 2010 Key, exactly, do these 22 patents cover? Back in January 2002,Office 2010 Professional Plus Key, The Register reported that Microsoft paid $63 million for SGI;s graphics patent portfolio. In July of that same 12 months, Microsoft was rattling the patent sabers over OpenGL. Microsoft officials said they had “potential claims” on a technology called vertex programming, a technology that controls 3D effects which include lighting. A ZDNet story from that time noted that “The claims caused some consternation within the OpenGL Architectural Review Board (ARB), which governs the specification.” Anything else about this transaction of interest to you (in case I do get to talk to any with the parties in question later today)?