Has anyone here been following SCO's attempt to sue companies who are using Linux version 2.4?
If you aren't familiar with the case, SCO is a US corporation that claims that modules of the Linux kernel were lifted from SCO's proprietary version of Unix. Consequently, SCO has been filing lawsuits against companies like IBM and Dell for theft of intellectual property.
So far, the suits have been confined to US companies, but now SCO is expanding its litigation attempts to include European companies as well.
According to the investment site The Motley Fool,
Last week, SCO CEO Darl McBride declared in an open letter, "There is a group of software developers in the United States, and other parts of the world, that do not believe in the approach to copyright protection mandated by Congress ... The future of the global economy hangs in the balance."
:D
Hmmmm. McBride is also putting his money where his mouse is....
SCO (the software maker formerly known as Caldera) has been shaking down Linux providers, even taking a $3 billion shot at IBM (NYSE: IBM).
SCO claims that residual bits of the UNIX operating system -- which it owns -- exist in Linux. SCO wants every Linux user to pay up for this alleged use of its intellectual property, and the firm is threatening to sue anyone who doesn't pony up. This week, SCO took its threats to the U.K., France, and Italy.
SCO is also notifying Australian Linux developers.
On the other hand, Linux users have found some powerful allies who are filiing counter-suits, including IBM and Red Hat.
For some thoughts on how this suit might affect your business, there is a helpful article on the Internet Week site.
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