SCO Fined in Munich For Linux Claims

nordi writes "heise.de reports (in German) that SCO Germany has to pay a fine of 10,000 Euros (~10,800 US$) because they kept on saying that Linux contains stolen intellectual property of SCO. In May a German court had decided that SCO Germany must not continue making those claims." Yes, it's auf Deutsch, so break out babelfish.

Comments

Re:We can only hope

[tomhudson]

Sure, the fine may be low, but this is a first fine. Wait until they get hit again .. and again ... and again.

Also, it gives us something to point to and say - "These guys have been fined by a judge for their lies. Take that, Shithead^H^H^H^H^H^HMcBride" :-)

All in all, this is great news.

In other news

[mao che minh]

In other news, Microsoft chairman and cofounder Bill Gates expressed regret, and is reportedly highly upset that Microsoft must pay $10,000 ($10,800 USD) Euros in legal expenses, after a judgement was passed by German courts.

;)

Contempt of court?

[Picass0]

I'm sure that SCO will pay the 10k euro without blinking, but they are unlikely the change their bahavior. Then what? In the US the continuation of claims after paying the fine would eventually lead to contempt of court charges. Would this not be the case in Germany as well?

Darl in a German prison. That thought makes me smile :)

Re:Contempt of court?

[mikeee]

Well, I understand Germany is having troubles keeping its budget deficits within the Euro limits - if they fine SCO 10K Euros everytime Darl M. says something that'll clear right up!

What do you call 10,000 Euros?

[advocate_one]

A good start...

bit like one of those "dead lawyer" jokes...

And the SCO Information Minister Says...

[Joel Carr]

I wonder what sort of spin the SCO Information Minister is going to put on this one... I bet it's all IBM's fault again!

http://WeLoveTheSCOInformationMinister.org

---

Re:And the SCO Information Minister Says...

[Anonymous Coward]

McBride proudly dumped two phone-book-sized binders of press clippings
on the stage during his SCO Forum keynote on Monday as proof that
his company had become more relevant in the high technology industry.

To McBride's surprise however,
endless ammounts of monopoly money started raining down on him.

Re:We can only hope

[Brahmastra]

A better fine would be $10,800 each for every Linux user they sent an extortion letter to.

GAOL !!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh wait. This isn't the Spanish soccer station.

Re:We can only hope

[AEton]

$10,800 USD seems a bit low

On the contrary! That's 15.45 Linux desktop licenses. Hey, imagine a Beowulf cl--just kidding.

First Scientology....

[Channard]

.. now this? Almost makes me want to move to Germany.

Re:According to

[Sven Tuerpe]

... or alternatively its CEO can spend 10 days in clink for violating an injunction.

According to SCO's current business model, the CEO should choose this option because it is going to generate a lot more press coverage than silent payment of the 10,000 fine.

Re:We can only hope

[presroi]

This also allows any international company to politely ask SCO to send the licensing request to their German IT department. Or move the IT department mailing address to Germany for the same reason.

Well, $700 USD per CPU are nothing compared to German income tax :)

So if you sum everything up, surrendering to SCO might not be the worst outcome from a fiscal standpoint.

SCNR.

Re:greedy yanks

[Anonymous Coward]

Yep, those Europeans really suffer. Having their education, healthcare and safety. Those poor repressed sods. And instead of a constitution, they only have a constitution. Worst, their freedom of speech is laughable, they're not even allowed to lie!

...or 10 days...

[Anonymous Coward]

Don't forget, the ruling actually states that it's 10000 euros or 10 days in a German jail for the CEO.

Don't drop the soap, Darl!

Re:We can only hope

[polaar]

or in this case: "The fish was father of the thought"?

Best Nelson Voice warming up...

[!Squalus]

"Ha ha!"

It's only $10,000, but it is a start. I guess this means the Heise/Boies/McBride/Sontag/Stowell show is on hold, eh? Either that or the poor German SCO Mgr. is off to jail.

I can imagine this in Utah:

McB: What is barratry?

Sontaggie: I dunno, I only do what I am told.

McB: (muttering below breath) Stupid, yes-man, marketroid (now shouting...) Lawyer, get out there and put a spin on this - now!

H: Well, if we do anything, then they may rise the fines or put someone in jail in Germany...

McB: So? I am in Utah! I want to sue every German now! Put out a press release! We declare Germany in violation of our Intellectual property, and they hate Mormons too!

H: I don't know how our German employees will...

McB: Somebody better get this written and in the German papers by this afternoon too.

H: But..

McB: But what? I am in Utah dammit. Stupid German Courts can't touch me. Bill G. hisself is backing my play, so shut up and do as I tell ya.

The above parody is provided via the Not Ready For Evidenciary Players. We enjoy bringing you this daily laugh at the lives of some really screwed up people.

Bah...

[blueforce]

$10,800 - That's 16 license fees, no sweat.

Re:There is a funny game in Germany..

[pergamon]

My dictionary says that "schadenfreude" is also an english word.

Yes, it is a term used to describe a flawed entry in a bilingual dictionary. See: schadenfreude

Actually, Webster and other dictionaries do think schadenfreude is an English word taken from German, but what do they know?

Re:We can only hope

[netsharc]

Haha, if that is true, it would be the most fun slashdotting of a server!

Re:f*cking slashdot...

[XavierXeon]

Ich liebe es wenn eine US Nachrichtenseite auf einem deutschen Artikel verwiest..... Scheis auf die Deutschen..... Uebersetzt diesen Scheis ihr faulen Bastarde....

(hope you like the translation)

Re:We can only hope

[Anonymous Coward]

Sco should have retained the name Caldera. You can't spell Caldera with $...yet..