Could Google Be SCO's Next Big Target?

An anonymous reader writes "Well, Darl and co. may have decided which company to sue next: Google. Sources say Google will be sued for not paying their Linux taxes. The story quotes 'Industry wags are saying that God invented SCO to give people a company to hate more than Microsoft.'" This is all speculation until such a suit is filed, though.

Comments

Seems to be going slow already.....

[supermojoman]

Article text follows:

Source Claims SCO Will Sue Google

Industry wags are saying that God invented SCO to give people a company to hate more than Microsoft

November 26, 2003

Summary
A source claiming to be in the know says that the SCO Group is going to sue Google for not paying its Linux taxes.

By Maureen O'Gara
Page 1 of 1
A source claiming to be in the know says that the SCO Group is going to sue Google for not paying its Linux taxes.

Last week SCO threatened to make an example of a big-time Linux user that hadn't paid SCO the license fees it's demanding and take it to court for copyright infringement.

SCO has not disclosed the identity of its mark and SCO CEO Darl McBride claimed Tuesday that a decision on what company to target wasn't final yet. He said SCO and its lawyers were working with "a short list" of "seven or eight" names.

McBride declined to say whether Google's name was on it, but another knowledgeable source said it was.

SCO said last week that it would sue within 90 days. The Linux community thinks SCO's bluffing and won't make its self-imposed February 17 deadline. McBride said he'd like to play that number in Vegas.

The idea behind the suit is obviously to make all major Linux users tractable and make them reach for their checkbooks.

If it turns out to be Google, it's a provocative choice.

It's a household name.

It's said to have a Linux server farm of some 10,000 of servers, worth, oh, $7 million to SCO as long as SCO's current cut-rate license fees maintain.

It's reportedly putting together a positively glorious IPO that could supposedly be worth $15 billion-$25 billion, a feat unmatched in the last two decades despite Tulipmania.

And Microsoft, which has been accused of conniving with SCO in its march against Linux, is slated to enter the search market and compete against Google. The widgetry, which is supposed to retrieve all kinds of file types, both structured and unstructured, and all kinds of storage systems, beginning with the user's own drive, will be integrated into its operating systems like the anticipated Longhorn.

Meanwhile, industry wags are saying that God invented SCO to give people a company to hate more than Microsoft.

They're desperate

[emh0]

It's simple... SCO are fast running out of money. They thought IBM would buy them out but they didn't, so they're just going to keep the lawsuits flying until somebody does.

Re:WTF?

[attobyte]

I would have to say that not knowing the IP was in Linux before installing it does not make you at fault. Just because you buy a paper that someone plagerised does not mean you're at fault. I agree you would have to get rid of the product ASAP but I dont think you can be held liable for past use.