Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Wed 12th Mar 2003 20:31 UTC
SCO's lawsuit filed in Utah last week claims that IBM integrated computer code belonging to another company into the Linux operating system, touching off speculation that the lawsuit could hurt other Linux companies, including Red Hat, the country's largest distributor of the software. Red Hat isn't involved in the dispute, but some analysts say that the Raleigh-based company won't be able to escape the fallout. "It's kind of irrelevant who wins the lawsuit," said Victor Raisys, analyst with Soundview Technology Group in San Francisco. "You can't take back the fact that someone has tried to claim intellectual property on Linux. The genie is out of the bottle."
Permalink for comment
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Recent Original Stories
Recent Comments
Headlines
Random Comments
Random Stories
Random OS Link
>>>>The old IBM interview that you quote, and keeps getting quoted over and over again, is from a IBM developer, who cannot and does not speak for IBM, as a corporation.
The IBM guy who was interviewed ---- he ain't some 25 year old recent college grad who just gotten hired by IBM and writes all these useless bloggers and commentaries on various websites (like you and me). This guy, Dr. Karl-Heinz Strassemeyer, has a PhD. and heads the IBM team on the S/390 linux port.
Sure Dr. Strassemeyer doesn't speak for the whole IBM, but my point is that they all got the same memo from the IBM lawyers regarding linux development. Everything they do had to be cleared by the same IBM legal department --- even as minor as a personal demostration to linus himself.
>>>>Do you really believe that IBM would have invested the money, time, and self-identification with Linux if they believed that Linux is a potential IP timebomb ?
Why not? As long as IBM themselves are not sitting on the timebomb itself.
>>>>Get real. They are paying developers to work on Linux to help Linux support their computers, including the paycheck of the man who did this interview. Why would they do this if they were afraid of potential IP suits.
>>>>This notion that "lurking in the millions of lines of code lies patented propitary IP" is the FUD which MS and it's cohorts have beeen reaming down everyones throats for years now.
You are the one who has to get real, IBM brings in billion dollar + from their patent warchest each year, that's why they care about IP risks. IP risks AREN'T limited to avoiding lawsuits --- IP risks also include protection of their own IP assets.
>>>>The man in the interview belongs to the generation of oh so cynical developers who have become jaded by years in the IP industry-whereas IBM, as a corporation, has already accepted the fact that Linux is for all intensive purposes belongs to the Commons, ie. everybody and nobody.
The man wants changes to GPL because IBM lawyers won't allow them to do certain things.
>>>>Do you know why GPL is called copy-left software ? One reason for this name is because GPL-based software is only IP in the sense that companies which base their buisness off closed-source propietary software cannot benefit from GPL software.
Precisely --- that's why IBM is a computer consulting company right now and that's why IBM is embracing linux.
All I am saying is that IBM, the biggest linux cheerleader, has a very well thought out business plan.