Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Network Associates Aquires Deersoft Inc.

Posted by chrisd on from the hope-that-they-don't-ruin-it dept.

Duncan Findlay writes "Network Associates Inc. has just acquired Deersoft, Inc., which is known by many as the creator of SpamAssassin Pro, the proprietary (Windows) version of the GPL/PAL licensed SpamAssassin (Mirrors: Eastern US, Europe). It seems that we may see parts of SpamAssassin under the McAfee name within 6 months. You can also read the story at Yahoo or at Reuters. Unfortunately, the SpamAssassin trademark was owned by Deersoft, so hypothetically, NAI could force us to call the Open Source project something else!"

20 of 127 comments (clear)

  1. So, not "spamassassin" by JanneM · · Score: 5, Funny

    How about "CannedHamHitMan"? It rhymes at least...

    --
    Trust the Computer. The Computer is your friend.
  2. What's up with these guys buying... by Marton · · Score: 3, Interesting

    all this inferior technology?

    McAfee bought SpamKiller a number of months back. I actually paid for that thing back when it was just a shareware project. Big money came in, updates stopped...

    Now they buy SpamAssassin, great! I actually used it after getting rid of SpamKiller, and it was OK-ish, but it bothered the hell out of me that I had no control over what's spam and what's not, except for a sender black- and whitelist. (Which sometimes does not work for mailing lists, some of the ones I'm on have date-specific senders such as blahblah-digest-20021220@blahblah.com.)

    I switched to POPFile like two months ago, and never looked back. 97.8% accuracy and increasing, yay!

  3. Stuff still missing... by Viewsonic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    McAfee needs to add in more functionality to remove Gator programs, and other software that installs itself off the web for corporate users. Basically, they need to buy out Adaware and incorporate it within McAfee to make systems 100% clean. Virus Scanners for some reason have been very slow to scan for Gator-like programs that get installed and run in the background without the users knowledge and consent (Autoinstalls from certain sites, etc) and rack itself up as a legit virii if i've ever seen one. Users want to buy this protection, they need to offer it.

    1. Re:Stuff still missing... by sheriff_p · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There's a reason for this. And it's a legal minefield. Companies could sue NAI (McAfee) for detecting this software and removing it, and some AV company (I forget which, but probably H+BEDV) was sued recently by a German company that made porn dialers, because it was detecting them... Add in FBI-esque eBugs, and boy is it a spikey issue.

      --
      Score:-1, Funny
  4. Name change must be a joke by iamacat · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I assume Deersoft is the company that released regular SpamAsassin under GPL. In this case, I don't think they can remove GPL from any part of the code, including it's name. If they just used GPL code from other people, they would have to either release source code for the PRO version or license the original one separately. Even then, GPL license would still protect everyone's right to use the name. Not a lawyer, just seems common sense.

    1. Re:Name change must be a joke by belphegore · · Score: 3, Informative

      The SpamAssasssin open-source project is licensed under the "same license as Perl itself" -- ie a dual PAL/GPL where the licensee can choose which license they wish to use. Deersoft used the open-source engine as the spam-identification component of (at time of acquisition) two products: an Outlook plugin, and an Exchange server plugin. There's a lot of windows/outlook/exchange-specific code in there which is covered under a commercial (not currently open-source) license, and these parts of the software are kept quite separate from the open-source bits.

      We're currently floating between meeting after meeting after meeting with the Network Associates folks, trying to nail down timelines, roadmaps, etc. and will have more information hopefully soon.

      Through the merger process, one of my main concerns was trying to ensure the preservation and independence of all aspects of the open source project. This was partially reflected in the press release announcing the acquisition, but I think that was written by a marketroid who doesn't necessarily understand what Open Source even means.

      If you want to contact me directly, please email me at craig@deersoft.com or craig@hughes-family.org and I'll try and get answers to any questions you may have -- be warned though that NAI is a large company with the typical slowness associated with large organizations.

      Craig Hughes

  5. Assassin was ok, but I liked this better by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    www.cloudmark.com

    SpamNet is actually somewhat better at intelligently filtering out trash.

  6. Now... by elixx · · Score: 3, Funny

    With each purchase of NA Sniffer Pro, you get a complimentary copy of "Deer Hunter"! Absolutely /FREE/! What a bargain!

    --
    No, Beowulf clusters can't imagine in Soviet Russia.
  7. Just the name? by mmoncur · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I hope the name SpamAssassin is all they have the rights to. It seems like there might be some messy legal issues here.

    Also, if this goes as mainstream as it looks like it's going, we might need a different open-source spam filter after all - because NAI's product will be the one the spammers will be testing on and trying to get past.

    OTOH, maybe NAI throwing money at this will make ISPs everywhere notice and start taking spam a bit more seriously.

    Anyway, while it lasts, SpamAssassin (or whatever we call it) is excellent. The new Bayesian filtering in the upcoming 2.50 is working wonders.

    --

    It's Slashdot's evil twin... SlashNOT
  8. Re:Wait no further... by SoSueMe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Working link.

  9. I'm happy for the Deersoft guys by Argyle · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I bought a copy to use at home and 30 licenses for the office. The stuff works good.

    They've continued to update the program and add more features. I get 50-100 spams per day and the program might miss one of them.

    I hope they are getting a nice tasty payout from Network Associates.

    --
    nuclear iraq bioweapon encryption cocaine korea terrorist
    1. Re:I'm happy for the Deersoft guys by Argyle · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, two reasons.

      1) What I bought was a version that works as a plug-in to Microsoft Outlook that runs client-side in a Outlook/Exchange environment. It's a specific implementation of the code that I wanted. I could have taken the GPL code and changed it to do this, but it is simpler and cheaper to buy it.

      2) These guys deserve the money. They worked hard and made a good piece of software. Paying them for their work is a good incentive to continue writing good, useful code.

      --
      nuclear iraq bioweapon encryption cocaine korea terrorist
  10. Speaking of trademarks... by Anand_S · · Score: 5, Funny

    Since Hormel Foods owns the name "Spam," couldn't they force Network Associates to call their product "Nasty Synthetic Luncheon Meat Assassin"?

  11. Existing customers? by KeyserDK · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Q. What will happen to existing Deersoft Inc. products and customers?

    We will take the existing product off the market immediately and will launch an enhanced version in the second quarter of 2003. Network Associates has assumed all support obligations for Deersoft customers. Existing Deersoft customers can contact a technical support representative at 1 800-722-3709.

    YES US TELEPHONE SUPPORT! it's *SO* cheap calling from Denmark to US.

    Anyway as happy user, I seriously doubt anything worthwhile for existing customers will come out of this.

    --
    still reading?
  12. They won't want to use the name SpamAssassin by zoward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    From a marketriod standpoint (IANAM), the word "Assassin" is too heavily conotated with the deliberate forcible termination of human life to be effective as part of a product name (unless you make assassination products!). Also, while SpamAssassin has great market penetration amongst the Slashdot crowd, I don't think it's so well known with the general public that they'll keep the brand name for recognition value.

    --
    "Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
  13. Prior use is a valid defense by kramer · · Score: 3, Informative

    Assuming anything happens on the trademark front Deersoft owning the SpamAssassin trademark is relatively pointless. IIRC Spamassassin was called spamassassin long before deersoft registered the trademark, or even considered a windows version. Use of a trademark prior to it being registered is a vaild defense against a trademark infringement cliam, and can actually should the spamassassin folks choose be grounds to have deersoft's trademark squashed.

  14. damned if you do by SubtleNuance · · Score: 3, Insightful

    wrt: SpamAssassin trademark was owned by Deersoft, so hypothetically, NAI could force us to call the Open Source project something else!"

    ...except that the previous owners did not vigorously defend the mark against the Free Software project, would NAI now have grounds at all? Selling the mark does not erase the actions Deersoft did/did-not make.

    EXCEPT that there is no justice in the USA without $$$$ - so the mere threat of a suit from NAI would cause the F.S. project to freely walk away from the 'battle'.

  15. The biggest tragedy and doom for Spamassassin by rw2 · · Score: 3, Informative

    With apologies to the many who have contributed to SA in the past, Spamassassin was basically the work of three people. Craig, Justin and Matt. Between the three of them that's the *vast* majority of the work that was done on that project.

    Here's the troubling part.

    Craig and Justin owned the trademark and now work for NAI on the proprietary version (to be named "SpamKiller" apparently) and Matt's company has pulled him off because there is a conflict of interest in having him work on open source being fed back into NAI.

    So the three captains of this project are now gone. This doesn't bode well for the future of SA.

    Sucks.

    1. Re:The biggest tragedy and doom for Spamassassin by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      From the FAQ. Note the starred portion

      Q. What will be the status of the open source product following the acquisition?

      The SpamAssassin open source project will continue and *will be maintained by its current authors including Justin Mason and Craig Hughes*. Mason and Hughes will be employees of Network Associates and will devote their energies to the development of the proprietary McAfee product.

    2. Re:The biggest tragedy and doom for Spamassassin by rw2 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Mod the parent down, he highlighted the wrong portion.

      The highlighted portion should have been:

      The SpamAssassin open source project will continue and will be maintained by its current authors including Justin Mason and Craig Hughes. Mason and Hughes will be employees of Network Associates and will devote their energies to the development of the proprietary McAfee product.

      Now having said that, Justin has posted saying that even for the last four months he's been working for Deersoft and still working on OS so there is some reason to hope. Craig's been pretty busy though and difficult to contact, so I wouldn't bet on him being able to spend much time on the OS portion going forward and Matt has officially dropped out.