No plan to sue linux companies, says SCO

The Age ^ | 08/29/03 | Sam Varghese

[Salo]

The SCO Group said today it had never planned to sue any Linux companies, had no concrete plans to sue anyone and also no current plans to take a commercial Linux customer to court.

The company was responding to questions routed through its PR people in Sydney.

As the Canopy Group, which has a stake in SCO, also has interests in several other Linux companies, SCO was asked whether it planned to sue all these companies. The answer was "No. SCO has never planned to sue Linux companies."

In June, SCO senior vice-president Chris Sontag was quoted as saying the company would either will file a new suit or amend its lawsuit against IBM to target other companies which SCO alleges are illegally appropriating its Unix source code.

Today SCO also said it had no current plans to take a commercial Linux customer to court.

Earlier this year the company issued a letter to commercial Linux users threatening them with legal action.

Among the companies in which Canopy is involved is Linux Networx, which has supplied a supercomputer to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; asked whether SCO would sue the laboratory, the company spokesperson said: "No. SCO has never made concrete plans to sue anyone."

In a statement made on August 20, SCO chief executive officer Darl McBride said the company was identifying Linux users for possible litigation.

In March, SCO filed a billion-dollar lawsuit against IBM, for "misappropriation of trade secrets, tortious interference, unfair competition and breach of contract."

SCO also claimed that Linux was an unauthorised derivative of Unix and warned commercial Linux users that they could be legally liable for violation of intellectual copyright. SCO later expanded its claims against IBM to US$3 billion in June when it said it was withdrawing IBM's licence for its own Unix, AIX.

[Salo]

This is from an Austrailian newpaper, so it may mean "SCO will not sue *Austrailain* linux companies."

More grist for the mill (more pump for the dump).

[Salo]

Calling Tux, calling Tux.

[Salo]

Hisssssss.

[shadowman99]

The gravity of the situation finally sunk in. They've sued IBM and defamed Linux. They thought this wouldn't go to trial.They now see in the tea leaves IBM is willing to walk in a court room when they weren't. What started as a contract dispute with IBM has mushroomed into more than they can handle. The countersuit IBM has filed is going to eat anything they hoped to win from the contract dispute. Patent cases are harder to fight than contract disputes, and Big Blue whipped out four. They've made claims about the origins of code that cannot be proven. They've impacted the value of Linux in the marketplace, leaving them open the class action lawsuits and perhaps a RICO case. SEC is going to start wondering how SCO keeps going up when everyone else is going down.

I keep thinking of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It's time for Duke to drive accross town and get a different hotel. Lie low. They've done a savage burn on everyone and and they are going in the slammer if they get caught.

SCO has begun to emerge from it's ether binge. It now sees that it trashed the hotel room.

[Salo]

Any analysis that works in Hunter S Thompson is a good analysis. :-)

I keep wondering when the press in general is going to catch on that this whole thing has been a fraud from the beginning.

[Gorzaloon]

SCO has begun to emerge from it's ether binge. It now sees that it trashed the hotel room.

ROTFL during the first cup of coffee. Thanks!

Ahh, Devil Ether.

[rdb3]

The Penguin Ping.

Wanna be Penguified? Just holla!

Got root?

[pyx]

No plan to sue linux companies, says SCO

Gee, this is a surprise. Not.

[isthisnickcool]

In related news SCO is changing it's name to:

[shadowman99]

And to IBM I say:

"FINISH THE F***ING STORY, MAN!"

[Steely Glint]

The damage that this act of greed did to Linux should not be underestimated. A lot of new servers that would have been Linux servers (more stable, less vulnerable, lower cost) will now be running Windows just because management has heard ugly rumors about this. ("Isn't there some vague, nasty legal issue going on with Linux? Let's go with Windows, Microsoft wins all of THEIR legal battles!")

[Coral Snake]

The Coral Snake Ping.

Calling all Anti Commies and Anti Pirates

When should businesses be "upgrading" to Linux?

See above PICTURE for the answer!!!

[Coral Snake]

The explanation of this is that businesses dhould be upgrading to Linux when PIGS FLY!!!

[xm177e2]

The bulk of SCO's evidence is awaiting trial. You haven't even seen it yet.

So, where's the trial? (I've pinged you to a new thread)

[Bush2000]

So, where's the trial? (I've pinged you to a new thread)

Still pending against IBM. You'll get your chance.