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SCO Attorney Declares GPL Invalid

chrullrich writes "According to heise (German, fishbait), SCO's chief counsel Mark Heise (unrelated) of Boies, Schiller and Flexner has declared that the GPL violates the US copyright law and is thus null and void. SCO's legal position is actually a little too crazy to believe: The GPL allows unlimited copies, the copyright law allows one. Therefore, the GPL is invalid. Apparently, they try to argue that the copyright law, in giving consumers the right to make one backup of their software without any permission from the copyright holder, outlaws any contractual agreement that allows users to make more than one copy." There's an Inquirer article in English. Apparently SCO is now using the Chewbacca Defense. Other SCO news: SCO reports a profit, examining SCO's contributions to Linux, an attorney summarizes the case.

40 of 1,137 comments (clear)

  1. Chewbacca Defense? by grub · · Score: 3, Funny


    You mean SCO is going to go after George Lucas?

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  2. in additional news... by bongoras · · Score: 5, Funny

    SCO has declared that the earth is actually flat, that you *can* dig a hole to China, and that the moon is, in fact, made of green cheese.

  3. SCO's legal team by Hieronymus+Howard · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've often heard of companies having a crack legal team, but this is the first time that I've heard of one being on crack.

    HH

  4. Wow, simply amazing by Raul654 · · Score: 3, Funny

    And SCO is paying how much per hour for this legal mastery?

    --


    To make laws that man cannot, and will not obey, serves to bring all law into contempt.
    --E.C. Stanton
  5. The future of SCO. by gregarican · · Score: 5, Funny
    I think they will combine forces with Banyan and Lantastic to usher in a new era of useless has-beens.

    What a joke. Johnnie Cochran must be part of their legal team.

  6. ... and why wouldn't they? by *weasel · · Score: 3, Funny

    if the gpl is -legal- then they have no legal legs to stand on.

    -of-course- they'll 'declare it' illegal.

    thank goodness their lawyer's opinions matter only slightly more than my cat's.

    --
    // "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
  7. chewbaca defense by Trinity-Infinity · · Score: 3, Funny

    If they can use the chewbaca defense, I'm calling SHENANIGANS!!!

  8. Re:Hold up a second... by EMH_Mark3 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well everyone knows that two wrongs don't make a right, but three copyrights make a copyleft :)

    --
    Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me
  9. Witty, lightly sarcastic headline by djh101010 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Vague expansion of witty idea, looking like every other one-liner predictably posted to the thread.

    --
    Pointless and/or overly-geeky quote

    1. Re:Witty, lightly sarcastic headline by Knife_Edge · · Score: 3, Funny

      Clarification and development of witty idea. Summary of legal points:

      1) This is all wrong
      2) Geeks rule
      3) I like tuna

      Extended rant about moral issues surrounding situation. Oh the humanity, what is wrong with these people? Is there no justice in the world? I fear for the future of civilization.

      Anger filled unreasonable solution - Let's all throw rocks! They can't stop all of us!

  10. Re:So I can't copy something I create? by IFF123 · · Score: 4, Funny
    No, they are agruing that whatever you create doesn't belong to you.
    I am waiting for the next SCO press conference where McBride will announce that "all your bases now belong to us".

    PS: M$Bride knows that the only way they can getout of prizon sentence in the end is to demonstrate their insanity now. So far it's working well...

    --
    Who took my tinfoil hat?
  11. In other news... by Jasin+Natael · · Score: 5, Funny

    SCO has announced an agreement with the Business Software Alliance to raid data backup centers. SCO CEO Darl McBride was quoted as saying "These renegade 'backup' centers are no more than a front for illegitimate software duplication. Any customers who are found to have multiple 'backup' copies of any of SCO's intellectual property will be required to pay additional licensing fees, according to the number of processors in the machine that served as the source for these illicit duplicates."

    Future targets, according to the press release, may include schools, small businesses, and FTP 'mirrors', which not only house myriad copies of copyrighted works, but also make them available to further illegal duplication by end users.

    SCO Claims that copyright law prohibiting multiple backups of information may also cover music, movies, and published works. The RIAA and MPAA were reportedly intrigued, but unavailable for comment.

    --Jasin Natael

    --
    True science means that when you re-evaluate the evidence, you re-evaluate your faith.
  12. Re:So I can't copy something I create? by AndroSyn · · Score: 3, Funny

    In Soviet Russia authority questions you..oh wait, that really did happen in Soviet Russia, nevermind.

  13. Silent Majority? by mod_parent_down · · Score: 5, Funny
    "I would say that the silent majority is behind SCO in this case," McBride said.

    In the RED Corner, weighing in at $140M, we have the Self-Proclaimed Siiiilent Majorrrity. . .

    And in the BLUE corner, weighing in at One Hunnnndred and Fifty Beeeellion Dollars, The Heavyweight Champion of Patent Litigation, DEEEEEEEEP POCKETTTTTTTS!!!!

    Round 1.

    Fight!

  14. I've Got It Figured Out by thomas.galvin · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've got it figured out. SCO is trying to throw out so many baseless accusitions, and fill the air with so much nonesense, that we simply become numb, unable to deal with it, or respond in a coherent manner.

    It's like a two year old that keeps arguing that the sky is, in fact, green, and that he'll never grow up to be a basketball player if you don't let him eat cookies for breakfast. It's cute the first couple of times, then becomes slightly annoying, but eventually you are so baffled by the shear stupidity that you stop tyring to correct him, stop trying to prove your point, and simply say 'yes, dear.'

    That, my friends, is SCO; Litigation through Temper Tantrum.

  15. Re:...and I declare SCO "petunias"... by Alan · · Score: 3, Funny

    Based on the continuingly insane SCO claims, I'd say that massive head trauma, or the smoking of some really bad weed got us into this mes to begin with...

  16. Re:Hold up a second... by Jaysyn · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...for very large values of 2....

    Jaysyn

    --
    There is a war going on for your mind.
  17. Re:howto: disable caldera news by davmct · · Score: 4, Funny

    what are you doing posting here then? that option must be working really well... ;)

  18. ROTFLMAO by john82 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dear Darl,

    Thanks, I needed that. Can't remember when I heard something so goddamn funny. I nearly blew Mountain Dew through my nose on that one.

    What, you're serious?! Ssnnnorrkkk!!! Damn, that's even funnier! Have you guys thought about doing a stand-up routine somewhere?

    Really. Just too f'ing funny. Pardon me while I wipe the tears out of my eyes.

    You're the best,
    Bill Gates

  19. Copywrong by gunix · · Score: 3, Funny

    is when the copymachine get a serious paperjam.

    --
    Evolution of Language Through The Ages: 6000 BC : ungh, grrf, booga 2000 AD : grep, awk, sed
    1. Re:Copywrong by xanadu-xtroot.com · · Score: 4, Funny

      "PC Load Letter?!? What the fuck does that mean?!?"

      - Michael

      --
      I'm not a prophet or a stone-age man,
      I'm just a mortal with potential of a super man.
  20. Re:Hold up a second... by blibbleblobble · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Copyleft is not a principle the law recognizes."

    And not a character the Unicode recognises.

    Bastards.

  21. Battle of Stalingrad? by AtariAmarok · · Score: 3, Funny

    "SCO, they're about to get on the wrong side of Microsoft too, since MS..."

    Are you hoping for a Battle of Stalingrad situation, where there is really no site to cheer for?

    Or is the Godzilla vs Rodan analogy more appropriate? Or would a simple shark feeding-frezny do.

    This is what it's like when worlds collide....

    --
    Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
    1. Re:Battle of Stalingrad? by Soko · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or is the Godzilla vs Rodan analogy more appropriate?

      IMHO this case will more resemble Bambi vs Godzilla. SCO's about to get squashed.

      Or would a simple shark feeding-frezny do.

      There's an old joke about sharks not eating lawyers out of professional courtesy. Draw your own conclusions.

      Soko

      --
      "Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm." - Anonymous
  22. That does it! by Jaguar777 · · Score: 5, Funny

    IBM: That does it! Shenanigans! Shenanigans!!!
    SCO: What are you doing?
    IBM: I'm declaring Shenanigans on you. This lawsuit is rigged.

    --
    Maybe you should educate the morons of tomorrow so they'll stop believing the leaders of tomorrow. - Dogbert
  23. SCO says it's invalid, so pay up!!! by Newsome · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh, well. If SCO says the GPL is invalid, then obviously it's time to pay up!!!

    --
    http://www.tuxrocks.com/
  24. Re:SCO and UNIX by caferace · · Score: 5, Funny
    SCO is going straight for the Jugular...

    Yeah, with a Q-Tip.

    Pathetic.

  25. Re:Hold up a second... by harley_frog · · Score: 4, Funny
    Perhaps SCO plans on pleading insanity (or stupidity, you choose) as their defense.

    --
    It's all fun and games until someone loses the key to the handcuffs.
  26. Dear Darl, by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sorry I wasn't clear in our last conversation.
    What I meant to say is "Get crack team of lawyers", not "Get that team of lawyers some crack".

    Sorry for any inconviences

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  27. In breaking news from the former USSR: by XaXXon · · Score: 3, Funny

    In soviet Russia, the GPL declares SCO invalid.

  28. Donate? by autopr0n · · Score: 4, Funny

    Who said anything about 'donate'? Why would I want to 'donate' code to anyone for any reason? Why on earth would I want to 'donate' my code to you? You're a dick. If I want to GPL something, that's my choice. I don't give up 'ownership' of the code in the way I would if I put it in the public domain.

    --
    autopr0n is like, down and stuff.
  29. Re:The law establishes a floor by Stalemate · · Score: 5, Funny
    (IANAL, but this is basic stuff that everyone should know.)


    Is it just me, or does anyone else read IANAL and pronounce it in your head as "I anal"? It drives me crazy.

    Go ahead, mod me down as stupid or whatever, but I know someone else has to read it that way.
  30. Re:The law establishes a floor by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That would be iAnal(TM) the first in Apple's new line of internet enabled buttplugs.

  31. And in other news... by Odinson · · Score: 4, Funny

    About 10,000 Linux advocates laughed themselves to death today, France is now confused about weather to add their share of the dead nerds to the heat death toll. In an official response to the sea SCO's chairman said there will now be weekly wild assertaions until the case is lost... errr he meant won.

  32. Re:Trial by jury... *shudder* by Ian+Wolf · · Score: 4, Funny

    All we need is one slashdotter on the jury and SCO is doomed. I just hope it isn't the penis bird man, the Natalie Portman stalker, or the grits fetishist.

    I can see Boies during voire dire.

    Boies: "Have you ever read Slashdot?"
    Juror: uh.......yeah
    Boies: "Your honor I move to have this juror excused."
    Juror: "But all I ever post is hot grits and natalie portman posts."
    Boies: "Oh, sorry your honor. We'll keep him."

    --
    "The words of the prophets are written on the Slashdot walls."
  33. That's good then by Snaller · · Score: 3, Funny

    I won't have to read it then, Tried before always got a headache.

    --
    If Google really cared they would fix Android Chrome to reflow text, instead of discriminating
  34. Re:The law establishes a floor by worm+eater · · Score: 5, Funny
    Go ahead, mod me down as stupid or whatever, but I know someone else has to read it that way.
    (Score:5, Insightful)

    Is it just me or do posters always get modded up whenever they dare the moderators to mod them down?

    Please mod me down, I'm a redundant, trolling, flamebait-loving dogmatist and I was a pro-DMCA lobbyist. And I'm sleeping with Darl.

    --
    Maybe partying will help...
  35. Re:The law establishes a floor by stuntpope · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, that was Asimov's little-known collection of sci-fi erotica.

    Ok, karma dive.

  36. There's something being overlooked here... by Angst+Badger · · Score: 4, Funny

    SCO has been going on about Linux being in violation of the law, IBM being in violation of the law, Linux users being in violation of the law, and now, incredibly, the GPL being in violation of the law on the grounds that copyright ownership prohibits you from transferring copying privileges, all of which point to the big question that nobody so far has asked:

    Isn't having an entire company full of people smoking crack in violation of the law?

    --
    Proud member of the Weirdo-American community.
  37. Re:Whoa! I think I know WHAT they're counting on by paganizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    "hey! glad to see you? hows it been? come on over here and have a seat.. can I get you a drink? are you sure? cigarette? no? fine, fine...
    Listen, I'm glad we had this chance to talk privately for a second, there was something I've been wanting to tell you, and I don't see any reason to discuss it it front of just everybody, right?
    There is this little thing that everyone else on the planet has been aware of for quite a while now, that you just can't seem to get a grasp on......"

    --
    Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.