[PLUG] Court Rules: Novell owns the UNIX and UnixWare copyrights!

[Eric Wilhelm]

# from Bruce KIlpatrick
# on Friday 10 August 2007 05:39 pm:

>Matt McKenzie wrote:
>>> Galen Seitz wrote:
>>>> Time to celebrate with a pint or two.
>>>> http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070810165237718

<snipped very good explanation>

>> However the case is not completely over- but the main big hurdle is
>> crossed.
>
>Thank you for the response.
>I read the Wikipedia article about SCOgroup's history and lawsuits.  I
>seem to have a better understanding now.  I will wait to see other
>responses as they come in.

And the short version is just "lesser of two evils."  SCO had adopted 
the business model of suing over alleged copyright issues, while Novell 
has recently adopted the business model of frightening their customers 
with the threat of frivolous "alleged patent" lawsuits.

On the surface, I would say the latter is more evil, except that SCO was 
alleging that Linux contained "their" UNIX code (though I suppose not 
in this case.)

I'm somewhat dissappointed that the ruling does not mention the GPL.  
Did SCO not distribute said Linux code itself under the GPL?  If so 
(caldera), then it would seem to me that all grounds for lawsuit are 
quite simply moot given that they have thus granted everyone a license 
to modify and distribute said code.

Does this then leave Novell in a position to pull the same "we own 
linux" trick in a few years?

Of course, when the lesser of two evils slays the greater, it becomes 
the greater.  Thus, the first half of the beer is cheers and the second 
is tears.

--Eric
-- 
Turns out the optimal technique is to put it in reverse and gun it.
--Steven Squyres (on challenges in interplanetary robot navigation)
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