Why is he acting like a loose cannon? BSD does not include anything about patents, and he apparently offered a patent grant only in the context of Open Refine.
So you think it's deliberately malicious? Get a bunch of people to use the code and then shake them down with the patent? I don't read it that way, but either way it's toxic stuff for an open source project used by companies.
You put out code under a BSD license and people have some reasonable expectations that they can use that code.
I don't see anything about a patent grant - do you have a link to that?
What's more, his patent application was rejected, both for non-patentability, and on similar grounds as a previously rejected patent of a similar nature. Type the application number into USPTO's PAIR website at [1] for details. (Edit: app. no. 11/890,334)
