This clears nothing up [LWN.net]

This clears nothing up

Posted Nov 28, 2006 17:16 UTC (Tue) by mrfredsmoothie (subscriber, #3100)
In reply to: This clears nothing up by pzb
Parent article: Novell's IRC session on the Microsoft deal

> While the deal does include a technical cooperation agreement that helps
> make sure that Free/Open Source software and Microsoft products work
> together better, it does not give Novell a license to any of Microsoft's
> patents. It also does not protect Novell from suit by Microsoft.

Would't estoppel prevent this?

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This clears nothing up

Posted Nov 30, 2006 8:00 UTC (Thu) by Duncan (guest, #6647) [Link]

>> [The deal] does not protect Novell from suit by Microsoft.

> Would't estoppel prevent this?

Perhaps normally, but in this case, no. The deal is specifically
worded /not/ to prevent MS from suing Novell itself, only certain downline
customers and (particularly controversially due to the extremely limited
wording, tho the articles mentions Novell is talking to MS about getting
this expanded) certain upline developers, in ordered to be able to wiggle
thru a loophole in the GPL v2, which would prevent Novell's redistribution
of GPLv2 software if the agreement covered Novell itself, without covering
the entire community, which the agreement certainly doesn't do and MS
would be unlikely to do.

... All conditional on my understanding of the issues, IANAL, etc...

Duncan