Intel, IBM backing fund to defend Linux users
From
Forbes
bq. Intel Corp. and International Business Machines Corp. are contributing to a new fund to defend Linux users against copyright infringement suits threatened by SCO Group Inc., the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.
bq. Open Source Development Labs, a non-profit industry consortium based in Beaverton, Ore. which is creating the fund, said it has so far received pledges of $3 million, and hopes to raise $10 million, according to the paper.
Who is SCO:
bq. Lindon, Utah-based SCO is suing IBM and trying to extract royalties from other Linux users, claiming the operating system is based on Unix intellectual property that it owns.
bq. SCO said in December it sent letters to thousands of Unix license holders requiring them to certify that they are not illegally using Unix software in their use of Linux.
SCO is basically a company with no tangible value. It is trying to stake a claim that parts of Linux incorporate source code from SCO's version of Unix.
Since Linux is so popular, updated frequently (see popular), open source (see popular), available for free download (see popular), runs on the widest range of hardware old and new (see popular), etc... SCO's market share has dropped into the toilet and the management is looking for a way to raise the value of the company. They are being successful!
Take a look at the stock prices. Damn - wish I had gotten in on some of that! Don't buy in now though - they are at the end of their run and at some point, this house of cards will collapse and the stock will be worth its real value.
The problem of the lawsuits remains though and it is wonderful that IBM and Intel have stepped up to the plate and offered some real cash to defend against these
SLAPP suits.
Posted by DaveH at January 12, 2004 1:34 PM