SCO sue IBM re Linux Sys V Copyright. Maybe patent danger later?

[Julian Stacey]

Santa Cruz Organisation are sueing IBM Linux & suspending their own 
(not IBM's) Linux operations, claiming intellectual property
infringement (of System V base.), so said mailed their distributor
mail list & their  http://www.sco.com/scosource/letter_to_linux_customers.htm

Tarnishing Linux will help Microsoft discourage people from Unix.

A Software Patent Danger Later ?
   A while back SCO announced intention to vigorously protect all their
   supposed rights, inc. not just copyright but software patents I recall.
   Software patents are a danger to the public source community, 
   inc. all of BSD Linux Mach Minix FreeDOS FSF/Hurd etc,  
        http://www.berklix.com/~jhs/txt/patents.html
   Worst nightmare is Microsoft (or some parasite that may not even
   write code) acquiring software patents, (either deliberately,
   or by accidentaly acquiring them while buying other companies),    
   ... & later attacking Linux & BSD & all else.

Who might SCO target next ?
   SCO is/ was a relatively big company in PC Unix software, & 
   they've not been doing too well (AFAIR) for some time.  The
   temptation to parasitise with patents may increase (& if not
   them maybe someone else). Do SCO have enough revenue generators
   to avoid temptation ?  They tried adopting Linux to reduce
   software development costs (their own `Open Server' is IMO a   
   `crock'). Their major asset, a senior SCO man admitted to me,
   was their customer list, but with customers knowing Caldera/SCO
   had all of OpenServer/Unixware/Linux available, it must have
   been difficult to support, & perhaps harder still, if perceived
   as a "Me Too" provider of Linux at a high price ?

It'd be good to see BSD advocates who promote BSD at exhibitions     
etc, also providing anti software patent leaflets to visitors, to
get a change in the law, to counter the mounting danger of future
parasitism from ever increasing software patents.

Disclaimer: Some of this is speculative (& some not). Research yourself.    

-
Julian Stacey      Freelance Internet Consultant & Systems Engineer, Muenchen.
 Ihr Rauchen => mein allergischer Kopfschmerz !   Schnupftabak probieren.
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