Twitter published something [3] unusual late yesterday, something not akin to its usual blog posts about security or site changes: It's a manifesto for more responsible use of patents. In "The Innovator's Patent Agreement" the site says it understands how patents are vital to protect IP but worries about "how they may be used to impeded the innovation of others." Hence it's new promise to keep control "in the hands of engineers and designers" and only to use its patent portfolio "for defensive purposes." 

As well as sounding eminently sensible in an era of billion-dollar patent cases that some worry may set a wicked precedent for software IP, the move should dispel worries Twitter will offensively use its patent [4] on "pull down to refresh" gestures, increasingly found in mobile apps--particularly on iOS.

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