Reading the linked articles, the Free Software lobby is saying that this decision will destroy the coalition agreement commitment to create a level playing field ( http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalass... p21, "Government Transparency", 8th bullet,) which may or may not be true.
Given that the argument is all about patent royalties on interfaces, though, that argument (that OSS, which doesn't do royalties ever, won't stand a chance) seems to hold water to me.
Reading the linked articles, the Free Software lobby is saying that this decision will destroy the coalition agreement commitment to create a level playing field ( http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalass... p21, "Government Transparency", 8th bullet,) which may or may not be true.
Given that the argument is all about patent royalties on interfaces, though, that argument (that OSS, which doesn't do royalties ever, won't stand a chance) seems to hold water to me.