OSDL Pays For Linus Torvalds' SCO Defense

geoff313 writes " For all of you who might be worried about what financial consequences Linus Torvalds might have to endure as a result of being subpoenaed by SCO, fear not: the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL) will pay for its law firm to represent him. the OSDL, who are Torvalds' employer, will announce on Friday that the "OSDL has agreed to fund legal representation for Torvalds and any other employees of the lab who may become involved in the litigation." Just in case you didn't you didn't know, the OSDL is funded by a variety of corporations including (but not limitied to) IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Sun Microsystems, Red Hat, Cisco, Computer Associates, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Nokia. "

Comments

Bon Appetite!

[corebreech]

McBride is what is known in the poker world as a fish.

Which is to SCO's great misfortune because penguins literally eat fish for breakfast.

And Torvalds is the biggest, baddest penguin out there. One might even call him The Omega Penguin. The king of all penguins, indeed, of all penguin-kind. Their lord. The single template from which all other penguins were wrought.

I'm just sorry they're not selling tickets for this one.

Fudning sources

[bluelip]

>>>Just in case you didn't you didn't know, the OSDL is funded by a variety of corporations including (but not limitied to) IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Sun Microsystems, Red Hat, Cisco, Computer Associates, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and Nokia. "

Just in case that was someone hiding beneath a rock, SCO is funded by Microsoft.

Re:Fudning sources

[pmz]

who continues to treat the court which convicted them with contempt.

It just occurred to me that a good reason why Microsoft gets off so easy is that the judges and lawyers in the Justice Department don't want to face having to upgrade their Windows computers if Microsoft goes away. They are in a position of conflict of interest being a customer of the defendant.

I can see it now

[KU_Fletch]

I've got good money on SCO suing OSDL within the next week for "blatant copyright violations and big meanie stupid poo faces"

Slick move, SCO

[cybermace5]

So, they try to pinch Linux where it hurts by going after the "little punks" who made it. I mean, what could some passive, nerdy, computer programmers have as a possible means of defense?

And so now, SCO stands in the middle of a jungle clearing, waving a stick and raving madly at the 800-pound gorilla of IBM. Suddenly, a rustle from the brush and SCO turns around to see a whole pack of 800-pound gorillas, all staring with steely eyes....

Re:Slick move, SCO

[advocate_one]

It's not a whole pack of 800lb Gorillas... it's worse... a flock of attack penguins backed with some loose Gnus...

Re:Slick move, SCO

[cybermace5]

No, in this case I would equate the penguins to Linux users, who mostly just crowd up along the edge of the ice to see who falls in first and becomes orca bait. Some of the more enterprising ones might peck SCO's ankles, or send rambling emails saying that they will.

Re:Slick move, SCO

[dspfreak]

It's not a whole pack of 800lb Gorillas... it's worse... a flock of attack penguins backed with some loose Gnus...

Sounds like SCO is having a bad game of Jumanji.

Re:Slick move, SCO

[Haeleth]

it's worse... a flock of attack penguins backed with some loose Gnus...

I can see the headlines now: BAD GNUS FOR SCO

Anti-SCO License

[frostfreek]

I would like to know if the OSDL will pay to have their lawyers develop a version of a GPL that forbids downloading/use/repackaging of a software package by any computer that has ever had a SCO OS within 1km of it.
That's just about what I want for my next Open Source software release.

Re:Anti-SCO License

[Skweetis]

Please don't do this. My favorite computer has an old copy of SCO Unix within a few feet of it. Granted, the install tape is actually under one of the legs of a wobbly desk, but it works really well for that, and I don't want to have to replace it and my computer.

When this is over

[Anonymous Coward]

It looks like there won't be enough of SCO left for the vultures in Utah desert to fight over.

Re:OK, so which is it?

[fiftyfly]

the OSDL, who are Torvalds' employer, will announce on Friday that the "OSDL has agreed...

Referring to organizations as plural is stilted, unpopular, and, in this case, inconsistent. Get with the program. The OSDL is an organization that is responding to this situation.

Pfft it's "the OSDL, who art Torvalds' employer, will announce on Friday that the "OSDL hath agreed... "

Re:One important company was left out of the list?

[Anonymous Coward]

so now we mod up as informative stuff that is false?

oh wait, this is Slashdot, nevermind

Re:What have we learned today, class?

[Aliencow]

Seeing the clothe they wear, they probably play at the $20,000 tables!

Re:Community would have supported a defense fund

[Polly_was_a_cracker]

You mean who is going to defend SCO from Richard Stallman..
Even though they asked for it... This is like going trout fishing and catching a shark that eats your wife.

Don't blame this on a gorillas!

[whittrash]

I am sick and tired of gorillas being accused of being evil thuggish creatures. Gorillas are friendly and do not attack humans. Don't liken the friendly gorillas to a pack of bloodthirsty IBM lawyers.

Re:Funding sources

[sulli]

they're called the Editors.

Linus is defending SCO

[shoppa]

What's the deal with the article title?

OSDL Pays for Linus Torvalds' SCO Defense

I'd be very surprised if Linus was going to defend SCO here. Although obviously SCO thought that it would be advantageous to pump him for *something*, I dunno what.

Linus's Theme Song

[Foofoobar]

I hope when Linus enters they either play the Ride of The Valkyries or Darth Vaders theme song so that SCO gets the full effect of the wrath they bring upon themselves.

Re:you know

[Anonymous Coward]

What you have to understand is that your average slashdot poster has quite a lot of mouth and very little money.

SCO. Squashed. Like a bug.

[c13v3rm0nk3y]

One day all that old SCO merchandise is going to worth a lot to geeky collectors on eBay.

I'm holding out for a frisbee or baseball cap, myself.

Re:Motion to compel disovery /BRILLIANT

[mr_z_beeblebrox]

IBM cited a Judge who ruled in a 2001 securities case that fraud allegations "should not be a pretext for the discovery of unknown wrongs". That Judge, sharp-eyed posters of Groklaw have spotted, is the same Hon. Dale A Kimball who will hear the Motion to Strike Affirmative Defenses, to which the filing is addressed.

Your honor, we have heard the courts say that "the fishing idea" is wrong and can not be done. What a brilliant point, excuse me...
Your honor (nice robe!) I had no idea you PERSONALLY said that. Absolutely amazing, poetic so Jeffersonian.
(turning to look at McBride, sticks tongue out and issues official IBM rasberry)

Re:One important company was left out of the list?

[ronaldb64]

I'm just surprised SCO isn't a member of the OSDL. After all, they're becoming famous for their inability to know what they are doing ("I din't tell you we were issueing subpoena's to certain people because I didn't know we were.").

Re:Do you need a lawyer?

[UnknowingFool]

While answering a subpoena does not require a lawyer, it's a good idea to get one in some cases especially if you know you will be treated with hostility. Given SCO's actions, a lawyer is a great idea. SCO might try anything even asking whether Linus was on the grassy knoll when he started coding Linux. Besides here at /. we all should know what the answer to any legal question should be:

Does Linus need a lawyer?
IANAL, but [insert opinion]. Remember to talk to a lawyer, though.

But does Linus need to talk to a lawyer about getting a lawyer.
IANAL, but [insert opinion]. Remember to talk to a lawyer, though.

RMS would be proud of the recursion.

Re:OK, so which is it?

[DataCannibal]

the British say that the committee meet.

Oh, no we don't !

At least I don't and none of my friends or aquaintances do. But then, we went to Grammar School and don't try to talk like Australian soap stars.

Re:Question

[Alomex]

Why? just because it has a correct, informed answer?

Hah! try again kido.

OSDL stands for

[CitznFish]

Open Source Defense League, kinda like the SuperFriends except they don't get along.

Re:OSDL stands for

[sharkey]

Shape of... a core dump!

Re:Question

[Anonymous Coward]

does the loser get a saving throw?

Re:What about Stallman?

[LittleBigLui]

The American Barber's Association together with Gilette and Head&Shoulders.

Re:Do you need a lawyer?

[DrCode]

Those lawyers are pretty sharp, but I have a lot of confidence in Linus:

Lawyer: So, Mr. Torvald, when DID you stop beating your wife?
Linus: My wife is a world karate champion.
Lawyer: Um, er,...uh, let's take a break.

Re:Your spelling error

[BubbaTheBarbarian]

Dang, forgot to check my grammer...oh deer....

Re:Do you need a lawyer?

[WhiteWolf666]

Microsoft has the most money?

Nonsense---you forget who they are fighting.

Microsoft is a 400 pound gorilla.

IBM is a 12-ton space monster that shoots laser beams out of its eyes.

IBM is a FAR bigger company, with a MUCH more experienced legal team.

And Microsoft isn't fighting IBM directly, they are doing it (if at all) through a proxy.

SCO is more like a 75-pound hyena. Mean bite, makes a lot of noise.

But IBM is scary. Really, really scary.

Quiet scary, you know? Creeping-up-and-splattering-you in one move scary.