No. Did you even read anything other than the headline?
Our patent strategy is designed to accomplish one simple goal: ensure that Blockstream technology is available for all to use, royalty-free.
If you use any technology we have patented, you may use it royalty-free, for any purpose, unless your actions violate the conditions we've stated (such as launching patent litigation against us or other users of our technology).
In a nutshell, the patent is simply meant to ensure the open-source nature of any technology that Blockstream employees create. They don't have to be paid any royalties -- that's all they're saying. I don't even know why you'd think what you thought when the article clearly and explicitly states the opposite.
Looking at it from their perspective, the patent is there just so no one can profit from maliciously claiming the work as their own or patenting parts of it in order to monopolize any technology built from it.
