[ale] SCO Tells Linux Users: Time To Pay Up

[John Mills]

ALErs -

On Tue, 22 Jul 2003, Preston Boyington wrote:

> SCO Tells Linux Users: Time To Pay Up
> http://tinyurl.com/hot3
 
> So SCO is planning to send individual users a bill for using Linux?

_eWeek_ quotes them as targeting corporate users and distributors. (This 
week's printed edition.)

> "One has to wonder if this is not an attempt to get money from those without
> the funds to mount a legal defense."

There have to be enough funds per defendant to be worth suing for and 
collecting.

More interestingly, _eWeek quotes FSF spokespersons to the effect 
that charging royalties is contrary to the GPL and suggesting they might 
sue SCO to enjoin the practise.

I am still stuck on another question: it was my understanding that SCO is
suing IBM for breach of trade secrets agreements by IBM's allowing SCO's
intellectual properties to find their way into Linux. I don't see how this
implies any guilt towards SCO on the part of users who weren't party to
any trade secret agreement.

As for copyrighting Unix, GNU [allegedly] expands to "GNU's Not Unix" 8-)  
and I've never heard a claim that Linux was Unix either, so this seems
completely beside the point with regard to Linux.

Disclaimer: IANAL!!

 John Mills
 john.m.mills at alum.mit.edu

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