Wow! Now this is great news! One Laptop per Child Foundation and Pixel Qi Corporation have signed a permanent and royalty-free cross-licensing agreement that will allow both organizations to share laptop screen innovations and removes any doubt over who can use which technology.

Mary Lou Jepsen of Pixel Qi

As a result of the agreement, OLPC receives full license to all Pixel Qi "3qi" screen technology, including 70+ patents in process and all current and future IP developed by Pixel Qi for multi-mode screens. Pixel Qi is leading the design of new screens for OLPC's next-generation XO laptops.

The agreement also calls for Pixel Qi to receive full license to the dual-mode (indoor and outdoor) display technology used in the XO. This is a major development. Nicholas Negroponte is right to say:

We are not aware of any blanket technology license of this scale of current and future inventions by a commercial firm to a non-profit humanitarian effort and hope to set an example for other corporations to follow."

To give you a little history, Mary Lou Jepsen developed the innovative OLPC dual-mode screen while working at OLPC and assigned the patent to them. Then she left to found Pixel Qi, which is coming out with dual mode displays for netbook and other commercial computers.

Congrats to both organizations!