LWN.net Logo

Weirder & Weirder (ComputerWorld)

ComputerWorld looks at SCO's suit against Novell. "If SCO's lawyers could make a good case with a contract lawsuit, they would. Apparently, they can't. It turns out that SCO's lawyers aren't likely to have much luck with a slander-of-title suit either. It won't pry loose the Unix copyrights from Novell, since that's a contract issue that's not affected by any of Novell's public statements. And a slander-of-title lawsuit is likely to be tossed out by a judge, whose first question will be, 'Why didn't you file a contract suit?'" (The article is a couple of weeks old, but worth a mention).
(Log in to post comments)

Weirder & Weirder (ComputerWorld)

Posted Feb 13, 2004 1:06 UTC (Fri) by tomsi (subscriber, #2306) [Link]

It looks like the rest of the world is catching up on what SCO is doing...

Tom

PS. About time some would say ;) DS.

Weirder & Weirder (ComputerWorld)

Posted Feb 13, 2004 2:59 UTC (Fri) by jamesh (subscriber, #1159) [Link]

I reckon they'll file a contract suit after the slander suit gets thrown out, assuming the courts will let them. It takes longer that way ...

Weirder & Weirder (ComputerWorld)

Posted Feb 13, 2004 8:18 UTC (Fri) by danielpf (subscriber, #4723) [Link]

This makes sense if SCO is in charge by Microsoft of making as much FUD about Linux as possible. The aim is not to win in court, just to increase FUD about Linux as long as possible. One should keep in mind the first Halloween report, where IP property lawsuits were explicitely proposed as measure against open source software.

Weirder & Weirder (ComputerWorld)

Posted Feb 13, 2004 9:53 UTC (Fri) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]

This makes sense if SCO is in charge by Microsoft of making as much FUD about Linux as possible.
Why the conspiracy theory? There's no need for a conspiracy by MS and SCO: all that's needed is for SCO to be engaging in a stock pump-and-dump scam, which, oops, well, the behaviour of the stock is indicative, isn't it?

(But if Judge Wells has ordered them to shut up --- and it's difficult to imagine anything else that could make them stay so quiet for so long --- then that'll put a huge crimp in their plans. What a shame.)

Weirder & Weirder (ComputerWorld)

Posted Feb 13, 2004 14:28 UTC (Fri) by danielpf (subscriber, #4723) [Link]

" Why the conspiracy theory? There's no need for a conspiracy by MS and SCO: all that's needed is for SCO to be engaging in a stock pump-and-dump scam, which, oops, well, the behaviour of the stock is indicative, isn't it? "

Well, one thing does not exclude the other. SCO big share holders find interest in pumping the stock high and MS has a direct interest in a lawsuit which is in reality just a cheap FUD campaign against Linux and the GPL,probably much cheaper and effective than the recent TOC advertisement campaign.

The main suspicious elements for MS playing a role behing the whole thing are:
- the Unix "license" purchase by MS,
- the Halloween document, which tells us clearly how MS operates behind the scene,
- the fact that so much propaganda is directed against Linux, not so much against IBM, and nothing against others such as HP. In contrast the menaces against simple Linux users can hardly be seen as moves helping the stock.
- much of the moves by SCO in the lawsuit appear suicidal and stupids, just as if the main objective is not to win, but to extend the campaign as long as possible.

Copyright © 2004, Eklektix, Inc.
Comments and public postings are copyrighted by their creators.
Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds