[C7H8N4O2]

"How has this affected open source efforts?"

can be read as either

Why is it possible for [situation] to affect open source efforts?

or

In what way(s) has [situation] affected open source efforts?

[always_good]

The latter being more charitable because it also answers the first question and can assume the asker at least has a semblance of why it might be possible.

[olefoo]

That was the sense I meant. If the US military is using patents like that I would want to know and be surprised that I had not heard about it already.

It seems like the sort of thing that would have been talked about on the internet a lot.