
Apple Computer
is being sued by The Open Group, the San Francisco company that claims ownership of the Unix trademark, for using the term Unix in conjunction with its Mac OS X operating system without a license. Apple has countersued, asking a judge to declare that the trademark is invalid, because the term Unix has become generic. This legal battle, though separate from SCO's recent claim that Linux uses copyrighted Unix source code, adds further fire to the debate over the custody of Unix--the 30 plus-year old OS originally developed by AT&T.
Maybe TOG should start a "Genuine UNIX" logo/certification campaign similar to Intel Inside. That would settle this Apple thing, along with Linux and BSD. People might actually notice, start asking "hey, is this OS genuine UNIX?"
Then again, it must be a thrill talking on the speaker phone to attorneys every day.