What could make the Free Software Foundation (FSF), proprietary software companies, and at least one venture capitalist into allies?

The End Software Patents (ESP) coalition, a new organization poised to swing into action next month under the leadership of Ben Klemens.

In order to prevent software patents which are owned by Red Hat from falling into the wrong hands (e.g. in an acquisition like Oracle's), something should be done to diffuse them
Red Hat's patents are a subject we previously wrote about in posts such as

The debate over patents in Europe is starting to heat up again, just shortly after the patent maximalists got defeated; Sir Tim Berners-Lee explains his opposition to (F)RAND, in addition to software patents

Further evidence that those supporting software patents are front groups of giant corporations (seeking to tighten a monopoly) and patent lawyers who treat software patents as additional income

« Richard Stallman will explain how software patents obstruct software development. Software patents are patents that cover software ideas. They restrict the development of software, so that every design decision brings a risk of getting sued. Patents in other fields restrict factories, but software patents restrict every computer user. Economic research shows that they even retard progress...»

While groups representing the interests of foreign companies lobby for software patents, actual computer scientists from New Zealand reject them

I have a request from End Softare Patents' Ciarán O'Riordan. He'd like your help. He says VC good guy Brad Feld is interested in mailing out copies of the film Patent Absurdity to 200 people... he'd like to have some help from you coming up with a list of who best to send to.

"End Software Patents, a project working toward the elimination of software patents, was launched today. The ESP project will initially focus on two approaches: 1) assisting corporations that choose to challenge software patents in the courts and at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on the basis that patents for software and designs with no physically innovative step have no legal validity, and 2) public education aimed at passing laws to protect software from patent law. [...] In a separate announcement today, ESP released its first report on the current state of software and business method patents. The report covers the economic impact of software patents, including the $11.4 billion that U.S. businesses waste each year on software patent litigation.

Patent advocates, large successful businesses, and politicians are so enthusiastic about the patenting of software that it’s hard to accept arguments from people like the FFII and Free Software Foundation who claim that the software industry simply does not need software patents and would be far better off without them.