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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.
and Google could just "accidentally" link all SCO investor sites to certain websites specializing in goat mating signals.
There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
Isn't it obvious? They are going to sue every major company that uses Linux until:
1.) They get to court
2.) The company simply settles outside of court.
We all know they are full of garbage, yet its still popular and their stocks are still ok... why?
BECAUSE OF MEDIA COVERAGE!
If you guys would just let them slowly drain their money trying to pay lawyers to face off against blue chip companies like IBM, they'd slowly die off. But by giving them attention, they can stay alive.
Good quote, too many chars. Seriously, the slashdot 120 char limit sucks!
Didn't MS try to BUY google but google refused? Then MS said that they would compete with google.
.
I guess we are seeing how MS intends to compete with google . .
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
Give it a year or so, the SCO debacle will be over, and people will be back to having MS on the top of their hate lists.
- ------- There are ten kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary, and those who... Huh?
Don't they have to PROVE!!!?!?! they own what they are trying to collect fees for?
Haven't they done everything but?
If SCO does do anything like that, they will go down for FRAUD!!!!
how you can sue someone for violating your IP rights without legal backing saying your own that IP in the first place.
Is it legal to send a big F-U in response?
After google, they are planning on suing the vatican, I mean why mess with these little penny ante companies when you can sue your way into heaven?
I Am My Own Worst Enemy
This is just what SCO wanted, they probably planted this "leak" to get more attention and a new batch of Greater Fools to buy stock.
All "wolf! wolf! wolf" and lots of crying. No "bite! bite! bite"
Belief is the currency of delusion.
Google is big but not that big, they use Linux, and what is more important they have an impending IPO so they might just pay up to get SCO to shut up. I'm just suprised they weren't sued first.
I'd do something interesting, but my server can't handle a slashdotting.
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
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.
As much as I can remember, Google has a pretty good history of litigating rather than paying off those who have challenged them in the past (think SearchKing v. Google, if I remember the name right). So I guess this falls into place in SCO's plan of attacking those who are bigger and mightier first, rather than doing the smart (though equally evil) thing of suing small guys to raise money and set precedent before going after the big guys. So, yeah. To sum it all up, SCO are idiots.
I'm a canadian, so I may be way off base here, but doesn't everyone sue everyone else in the US? Really, how is this any different? Even if this ends up being true and SCO sues Google, who really cares, it's a pointless lawsuit, just like the other 10 million filed everyday by the average American... Isn't it? It'll get thrown out just like every other lawsuit, the lawyers will become richer and the American dream will continue to flurish (which if I'm not mistaken is to sue someone and get rich...)
---
Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
and I mean that in the yellow journalism sense. At best this is making complete guesses; at worst, its feeding the SCO publicity mill.
There's nothing concrete to back this up other than unnamed sources; that's pretty weak.
You were mistaken. Which is odd, since memory shouldn't be a problem for you
-kgj
-kgj
A source claiming to be in the know says that the SCO Group is going to sue Google for not paying its Linux taxes.
An unnamed source who claims to know this?
Could this article be more speculative? How does something like this even get considered news?
Let SCO sue Google for not paying the "Linux Tax". All Google has to say is show me legal proof I owe you this money. Until SCO has that proof (as in if they go to court and win the ip fight) Google has nothing to worry about. I think any company that pays SCO any money before they have this proof is making a very large mistake.
man
No manual entry for
The scene: a smoky downtown office lit by one bare lightbulb. Mr D is sitting at his desk, studying his computer screen.
... silence
"Damn", he says, and picks up the phone. "Get your ass in here!", he shouts, and puts the receiver down again.
A sweaty figure stumbles into the room, sneezes, and puts his coke tin and bottle of JDs on the table. "Whazzup, boss?"
"Our stock fell by two points. We need to sue someone. Who's left?"
"Uh, I think we sued them all, boss. Uh, wait, how about Microsoft?"
"MORON!! They're the nice gentlemen we met this morning!"
"Sorry, boss, it's the coke, it's making me forget shit."
"Look, we need a name, and we need it fast."
"Boss, why not try Google?"
"BRILLIANT!!! WE'LL SUE GOOGLE!!!"
"Uh, I meant just try the search... oh, shit."
"Get on the line to our hacks. This is going to be so big. We can ask for $699 per search result. Per web page. Per pagerank. Whatever, so long as we get into twelve figures."
"OK, Boss, you're the boss..." (picks up JD, stumbles out)
sniff... sniff... SNEEZE!
Ceci n'est pas une signature
Their actions speak of desperation. They are biting off way more than they can chew. If anyone was unsure if they were going to be able to survive a loss in the IBM suit, this makes it certian that they have bet more than they can pay.
Let me get this straigt again. Its trying to prove it owns part of linux in the case with IBM. And now its going to use sue Google because they are using linux which they have yet to prove they own parts of. Great. Isn't that like using a loan for collateral for another loan?
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
How much might SCO try to extort from a linux user that doesn't use the feature under litigation?
The worst part is that unlike IBM, Google may not have the vast army of lawyers to devote to their defense. Now they're not poor, and they do have lawyers, but nothing like the fancy-pants ones that IBM has on tap.
Let'em try it. Google has the power to 'erase' all memory of SCO from the internet...
An imagined future google session:
enter 'SCO', hit the 'I'm feeling lucky' button...
1. Southern College of Optometry (SCO)
2. Small Corporate Operation (SCO)
3. SCOffer's anonymous
4. Small Company the Offed itself (SCO)
5. Stupid Company Operation (SCO)
6. Some Company or Other (SCO)
Maybe this will be a Slashdot first -- read the article then post!
After reading the article, I still do not understand how Google could be sued for copyright infringement when they are the end user of a product produced by someone else; does copyright law not specify this? It would be like Eolas suing me for patent infringement after I installed an IE plugin.
I will go back into my little hole now.
Google: Well thanks, but we're not interested.
Balmer: Think about it, there will be consequences!
Google: Thought about it
Balmer (to SCO): Darl ... Yes Yes Yes ..... fade
Darl (bowing): Yes Master
Balmer: You know what to do, dont you?
Darl (salivating): Yes Master
All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be
And then it would run so poorly, we'd either be calling it gaggle or gurgle. :)
Nah, Satan would never create something like SCO. SCO would annoy Satan too much. But doesnt your god love doing things you dont understand? And pissing off people that dont deserve it? Yep. They're an angel from heaven.
-> A better answer...
Google Employee 1: Hey Tom, did you move my coffee cup?
Google Employee 2: Geeze Mike... I didn't expect a sort of Spanish Inquisition...
Darl McBride, David Boies, and Chris Sontag burst through the door
Grand Inquisitor McBride: Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Speculation for Nerds. Stuff that could matter, maybe.
paintball
They aren't being pursued by any US government authority for it. Why? SCO makes money by charging licenses to companies who use linux on the condition that:
1. Linux is owned by SCO because they own Unix and Linux contains Unix code(this hasn't been proven yet).
2. Paying the license fee will protect a company from being sued by SCO for not paying for said linux licenses and therefore violating the unproven Intellectual Property claim above (refer to number 1)
This seems to be a clear cut case of extortion. At the very least the SEC should be investigating for stock fraud.
This is blantently criminal activity that is going unpunished (no case from the government has been filed against SCO yet) and rewarded(SCO's stock prices continue to climb).
And on a tangent...OSDL to Answer SCO with Linux Campaign.
Belief is the currency of delusion.
because if this comes to pass, there WILL be murders. This isn't some corporation vs. corporation fight. SCO is trying to take over something that people have invested lots of blood and sweat into and now they're trying to penalize the (possibly) most used search engine out there for not paying them any attention. They might as well go over to England and tell them that rugby sucks if they have that much of a death wish.
Why yes I am paranoid! Thanks for asking!
link
i dont want to see this anywhere near this.
the unholy combination of the two would surely rend our universe asunder.
turn up the jukebox and tell me a lie
But that's okay because a trained monkey could file better documents than what we've seen out of SCO.
Belief is the currency of delusion.
What an extortion racket.
On Monday, December 5, the discovery motions in the IBM/SCO case go before the judge. That's the first "put up or shut up" event in the case.
If Google gets attacked, people will notice. Hopefully, they'll start associating Linux with it as a result. If Linux can absorb even a little bit of Google's golden-boy glow it'll go a long way to creating a realistic entry point for consumer desktop Linux.
Will SCO be dumb enough to send a bill first? Preferably through the US Mail?
Then they're dead for Mail fraud.
The only reason we have the rights we have is that people just like us died to gain those rights. -- Cheerio Boy
Better than Linux sites (Linux World, Slashdot) linking to each other with speculations that create self fulfilling prophecies.
Not if we can slashdot the hell out of those sites! SCO won't be able to find the scoop on melted heaps of webserver...
I am amazed that Slashdot continues to take the bait on this stuff. Who has SCO sued? IBM, over a specific contract dispute. Since the exact contracts are not available for public inspection we can not know what whether SCO actually has a leg to stand on.
Sure SCO has made all kinds of wild claims in public and there has been even more uninformed speculation.
But they have not actually done anything else.
They have not presented their "invoices" for Linux licenses.
They have not made any specific copyright claims of anybody.
They have not demanded that any of the kernel archives be taken down.
They have not done anything but generate a lot of smoke.
Untill SCO actually puts up, there is no news here. If they actually sued somebody. If they actually made some specific copyright claims. If they actually did anything besides make noise, then that would be a newsworthy item.
"*moderates +5 aluminium hat*"
That's Tin Foil you fool! Aluminium won't do any good against Alien Mind Control rays, Microsoft Mind Control Rays(tm), Government Mind Control Rays, or the like. You must use tin!
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
It's half SCO and half dog. It is its only friend. :P
Sources tell us Darl McBride has been named in a class-action lawsuit, agisnt himself, and the SCO Group. Evidently the PC industry has decided that the collective SCO suing ensemble have been over-exposing themsleves to the public as major dickheads. The suit is for an unspecified amount of damages for visual damages to the PC community from their obvious indecent exposure. (Film of the dickheads at 11pm)
The absolute worst administration nightmare I have ever had, was a customer box in the mid-90's that ran SCO. It's filesystem ran out of inodes. The consequences were horrendous. I convinced the client to literally toss the machine and replace it with a BSD server. Unfortunately, the client chose BSDI, but at least it was better than SCO.
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
Funny how everyone that SCO goes after is a group that frustrated Microsoft...
Microsoft is trying to raise a zombie army to attack its opponents so that investors won`t perceive MS as being dishonest.
Don't be surprised if more shell companies either get bought up or formed and have the single goal of attacking Microsoft's "enemies".
And the side bonus is MS being able to say "See? We're not the only ones who think Linux/Google/Whatever is bad!"
Another great bonus is that if any of these entities has to pay for its transgressions by being forced out of business by law or some such, Microsoft can just stand back and laugh that the repriesal didn't touch them.
I don't know the meaning of the word 'don't' - J
That sounds like my older relatives who think we shouldn't see reports on the news about potential terrorist threats, because "it might give the bad guys ideas." As unpopular as SCO might be right now, they certainly would know who the big Linux users are out there...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
Before I can go to google and type the words "Kiss my ass", click the "I'm feeling lucky" button and arrive at the Sco home page?
Somewhat OT, sorry...
Microsoft is notorious for leveraging their dominance in one market in order to force their way into another.
It strikes me that Google can do the same - and do it in a way that could potentially hurt Microsoft a lot.
I know there will be those who will not react favorably to this idea...
Google should create YALD (Yet Another Linux Distribution). Call it "Google Weblinux" (tm...)
Base it on Knoppix-Debian-Muskox/Linux. Add a much more user-friendly HD install (with *lots* of warning about overwriting hard disk partitions, and what this means). Add everything internet-related that they can - especially commercial, well-known stuff like Flash (sorry)
Realmedial (sorry), Acrobat Reader, lotsa Java-related toys, ez-firewall stuff, ez-internet sharing. Add a super-easy, customized synaptic (or synaptic replacement) with (optional) auto-updating. Put in every plugin known to Linuxkind. Make sure everything just works, just like that.
Tie it all together through the google homepage.
Naturally the default homepage will be Google, and the default list of links will include the fine commercial and non-commercial folks Google has made deals with in the process of creating the CD.
Perhaps they could mirror apt-get repositories or add their own for updates.
Advertise Google WebLinux on their homepage, with
links to more info.
If they wanted to the Google folks could become sort of a focal point for mindshare for all of Microsoft's commercial competitors - every commercial business who has to compete with Microsoft's own bundled applications - especially if Google manages to convince everybody that they won't try to get into competing with Macromedia/Sun Java/Adobe/Real.
Would that be an effective counterfud/return fire against Microsoft?
Found this creative little mug shot by Lee Brian. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words
It's not like one more SCO story means one less story about something else.
/syle
The worst part is that unlike IBM, Google may not have the vast army of lawyers to devote to their defense. Now they're not poor
They probably have as much or more cash on hand than SCO that they could throw to a lawyer, but more importantly, they also have a viable business model that is bringing in more and more cash. SCO cannot afford to deal with another lawsuit right now, which is why I suppose they're leaking this instead of Darl saying it.
So Google might be worth $7M to them in licensing fees if they paid. It would take far less than that to pay a lawyer to make SCO go away (unless you're going for the IBM-style nuclear ass-whoopin'). Reminds me of the old proverb: don't try to blackmail someone for more money than it would take to have you killed.
Do you have ESP?
It works like this. I get 3 people to put in $10 each on condition that they will receive $20 in 1 week. We then have 7 days to get 9 new people in, to provide the funding for that payout plus some profit. The next week it's 27 recruits required.
It works because the stupid people will see the exponential growth and actually believe it's sustainable and treat it like an investment. The slightly smarter people treat it as gambling and try to cash out as close as possible to the collapse of the fantasy.
SCO right now has both types of investors in it. The disadvantage they have relative to other pyramid schemes is that the collapse won't necessarily come when you run out of new recruits. It might come when the case collapses or appears to collapse and your old investors all come with pitchforks and flame to collect money that's not there. I.e. Trying to sell for $20 a stock that's not worth the paper it's printed on to someone who has that same impression of it's "value".
The reluctance of SCO to actually identify any of the "offending code" in the manner normally used for such cases should be a clue. Yes, companies routinely sue former partners for breach of copyright and IP theft. There are established norms and standards of evidence.
--= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
At least Slashdot and Linux World gave them the idea to do it now.
Oh, absolutely. There's no way that SCO's lawyers would have ever thought of doing that by themselves.
Just as all of the most insightful financial analysts come to Slashdot for their investment advice ("Short SCO now!"), so the most expensive lawyers come here to identify a strategy for their multi-million dollar cases.
And doesn't it give you a warm glow to think that all these expensive experts are out there, clinging to your every word, no matter how idiotic or banal?
Hey, perhaps if we tell SCO to stop the lawsuits, they'll do that as well
(OK, OK. I know sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but *somebody* modded this insightful. That's a hell of a lot lower...)
SCO could offer to "settle" out of court with Google stock at a guaranteed price prior to the IPO. They would then have a serious amount of cash they could use to go after less fortunate companies.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
Could they be any more stupid? I'd pick a nice Fortune 500 company with very few Linux installs. Settling would be tempting and cheap. SCO would have an easy victory and some much needed credibility. Google would be a terrible target because they wouldn't roll over for several reasons. First, Linux is central to their core business proposition. Second, they can evaluate for themselves the validity of SCO's claims. Third, they are no doubt very aware of the story so far (IBM counter suit, RedHat suit, the German ruling). And last, they will be familiar enough with IP law to know SCO has no legal basis for suing end-users for copyright infringement. And even if they did, until the IBM case is decided they can't prove infrigement at all.
I can see how such a move could be compelling to our stupid friends, however. Big well known company, high-profile Linux user, huge potential liability if SCO were able to claim punitive damages from end- users, vulnerable because IPO coming up and of course the impossibly fabulous power that would come from getting Google to knuckle under. Oh please, please. please sue Google. I think you'd see a counter suit that would make IBM's and RedHat's look like velvet by comparison.
That brings up the other point worth mentioning. If SCO actually sues someone, and that someone does not negotiate a settlement on the spot, this game will change dramatically in short order. RedHat's suit would no longer be theoretical. Their desire for an injunction would become urgent. And any other company that sells, supports or makes money in any way from Linux would also have a powerful motivation to seek their own unjunctions. If SCO sues, I think its quite likely that within 60 days of their filing, they will be on the receiving end of dozens of lawsuits. If any are successful, SCO would have to shut up for the duration of the IBM trial. Then the balance changes. SCO's interest would be in hurrying up the case, not dragging it out. That 2005 court date would all of a sudden seem a very, very long time away.
Yahoo Finance has a nice listing of all of the SCO insiders selling off their stock. Darl hasn't been selling, and the ones that are haven't sold enough to prove that this is a pump-and-dump. However, it does illustrate that no one at the company is showing any real confidence in their long-term financial health.
Actually, I personally don't see them doing it. They've already sued one high-profile name, what's the point? They've got enough publicity already. It's the small "mom-and-pop" setups that are likelier to keel over and pay up - [1-5]*US$699 is more cough-up-able than for someone running a server farm the size of Google's. (It's a little like how they say, if a bank lends you $1, they own you, but if they lend you $1bn, you own the bank?)
Google's involvement with linux is so extensive it makes no sense for Google to just keel over and pay it - Google WILL fight (can you imagine the licensing cost for all those machines they have? UNLESS maybe SCO walks up to google and offers them a "cut rate" license fee ("for ONE dollar you'll be in the clear!!"), in which case if Google pays up, it'll be a major coup for SCO which they'll use against others. But in that case it makes sense for Google to say - "we'll pay AFTER you win against IBM" first.
Are there any actual lawyers here who can tell us if Google can ask for a stay in court proceedings, assuming SCO sues them, until after the outcome of the IBM lawsuit? They'd be relitigating the same case otherwise, no?)
If SCO wasn't thinking of suing Google before, then they're even stupider than I take them for, and that's pretty stupid to begin with.
Everyone who gave it two seconds thought had to suspect that Google would be on SCO's radar. I mean, c'mon... with a well-publicized render farm of over 6000 Linux PC's who would be a more public target than Google. Since we all know this is a stock scam at this point, SCO is best off going after one of the biggest targets they can find to hype up the the amount of money they'll have coming in, you know, someday when they've won all their lawsuits.
Also if Google is doing an IPO there will be a quiet period where Google will be unable to issue press releases or otherwise counteract the SCO fud-storm.
--Rob
I see it as a rather good thing. The more organizations SCO is tied up in lawsuits with, the more taxed their lawyers are, and the fewer the resources they'll have.
If I recall my middle school history class properly, that's how Napoleon failed. And I wouldn't count Dear Darl as intelligent as Napoleon.
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
That's a good point. However, I was thinking the opposite: Frank Sorenson's analysis seems to show that SCO believes that SMP, JFS, RCU, and NUMA belong to them. One would imagine that by it's very nature, Google might possibly be making extensive use of SMP, RCU and NUMA, at least.
If you'll recall from the Rambus fiasco, they signed settlements that actually had clauses ending the royalty payments if anyone successfully challenged the patent in court. A settlement means nothing more than "it would cost us more to fight this" and everyone knows it.
WARNING: there is a trojan on your
What is that man, Darl McBride, doing to his anus???
This is a job for Crime Scene Investigation. Somebody send for Gil Grissom.
"If you study the ass-lips in the photograph closely, you can see that he's not just posing for holiday snaps. That's a surveillance camera aimed at that ruined sphincter. We had it installed around at Michael Jackson's place looking for kiddy stuff and then one day this guy shows up.
If you look carefully, you can see that the asshole is actually talking. I've recently completed an advanced course in ass-lip reading, to try and compensate for my congenital deafness, so I might be able to make this out for myself..."
"OK, here goes" (He turns on tape and starts speaking)
"This is Gil Grissom speaking, examining an image found on a SCO-owned website, concealed by an off-shore server and hosted at http:// goatse.cx. The image is reported as being a key clue into the conspiracy to extort several billion dollars from major US IT interests. According to my interpretation, this talking asshole is saying the following words. 'Linux contains our intellectual property. Pbrrrrphthhhssp. IBM owes us three billion dollars. Brrrrrrrrrrraasssp. Pass me the crack pipe, Boies, and then you can fist me once again. Brrirrrirrripppppth.'
Shaking her head in disbelief at this vile a conspiracy, suddenly Grissom's co-investigator, Sara Sidle spots something her chief had missed...
"It isn't just your hearing that's going, Grissom, it's your eyesight as well. Look closely. Right above the perinium. Can you see it? I believe that's the distinct mark of a nose-print. We'll have to wait until Greg gets the analysis back from Quantico to be absolutely certain, but I'd be happy to lay you twenty dollars that that pert little shit-streaked button belongs to Yankee Group 'anal-yst' Laura Dildo.
Grissom: "Well, it could be Didio, but on the other hand, it could be the nose of Rob 'Bell' Enderle. Have Greg break out the Mikrosil and take an impression of that ass-print so that we can match it up against a range of analysts noses. And tell him that while he's at it, bring out the Electronic Polymer Sensor Proboscis. I want him to run that against the noses of the various market analysts to make sure that the shit on the nose matches that of McBride's ass."
Sara Sidel: "And then bingo! We'll have nailed the bloodsucking bastards..."
Grissom: "Well, after looking at that gaping ringpiece, I'd say that he's been nailed once too often in the past. But you know what I always say about such matters..."
Sidel: "Yeah, the evidence speaks for itself..."
Napolean sued too many Linux using companies? I thought he was the guy who started some war in France or something...Oh well. My brain is officially off for Thanksgiving break anyways.
-Lizard Man
^I'm with stupid.^
Or better yet, while Darl's smoking his crack pipe and hallucinating, whisper into his ear that suing the Church of Scientology would be a an open-and-shut legal case.
Take a quick poke through all the companies they've threatened officially or inofficially in various press releases, press leaks, SCO insiders and whatnot. Who have they sued? NOBODY. Except IBM, over some contract. That's it. Red Hat has countersued, SuSe and more have gag orders in effect, what has SCO done? SCO has not filed one single IP suit, no matter how you define IP, be it copyright, trademark, patent or otherwise. They only threaten to do so without actually doing it.
This is yet another stock inflation tactic. They aren't going to sue Google, or a "unspecified Fortune 500" or Linux endusers or anything at all. They only pretend to, and then pull out another rabbit out of their hat. Like some new licence issue (BSD), subpoenaing Linux "celebrities" or a IBM poke shot or similar. They're quite skilled illusionists, if you fail to see the big picture.
Because nobody seems to be asking the question: What happened to all those claims you made last week? Oh, they're still just claims. You haven't made any action whatsoever to follow up on those claims. If you're slow on the take, you might think that these are now actually being handled, and that these are more and more valid claims SCO is pulling out of their ass. I just hope the courts will bitchslap them swiftly, once it gets that far...
Kjella
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
"God invented SCO to give people a company to hate more than Microsoft"
I'd rather say : Microsoft invented SCO so people would not place MS as the topmost hated companies
It makes sense to report on this; it shows where SCO's PR efforts are heading.
But why do people seem to be seriously considering the possibility that SCO might sue google?
Pay attention to what's been happening since January, and you'll notice a pattern. Over, and over, and over, SCO says they're going to sue someone. They threaten lawsuits, say they have plans for lawsuits, announce a new lawsuit target every week. But they never sue anyone. They still haven't sued anyone except IBM, and the IBM suit concerns NOTHING but a contractual dispute between SCO and IBM.
If SCO says they're going to sue someone, that does not in the tinest way indicate they are going to sue that person. It's all just making noise to keep the press spotlight on them.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Apple are using a bsd core for OS X, not linux. Thus they are safe.
And I thought BSD was next. Silly me.
Apple is exactly where Microsoft wants them: They are contained. They are in a niche market with clearly defined bounds (the "higher end" end user) and they show no indication that they have any path whatsoever from there to touching Microsoft's core target market (the person who just wants 'a cheap PC', the business market). Microsoft is not concerned with contained threats. This is why MS has been pretty much ignoring Mac OS X, but they're jockeying violently against the iTunes Music Store.
Google is very very much an unknown, uncontained threat. They have a lot of leverage, they have energy, mindshare, and are actively expanding, and worst of all, Microsoft has no way to control them in any way. If Google decides they want to put up a link on their front page that says "hey, if you click here, it will install Quicktime and play the Return of the King trailer", there will be a whole lot of people installing Quicktime that day.
Worse, google is actively moving in ways that indicate direct potential threats to things Microsoft cares about. It's only a tiny step from the Google Toolbar to the Google Webbrowser. It's not much of a step at all for Google News to expand into something that could dwarf MSN.
Remember how much effort and money MS put into knocking tiny little Netscape out of the market, even though they got nothing in return? Microsoft cares deeply about potential threats. And potentially, Google can be very scary to Microsoft.
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
Suing Google first is illogical (even in terms of existing SCO "logic"). With upwards of 10,000 servers, at 699$ a pop, Google has an obvious incentive to fight it in court. If SCO wanted to start sueing over liscences, they would start with someone who would only owe a few thousand, and claim the result as a precident before going after a bigger firm. Even if SCO was more interested in damaging Google's reputation or profitability than actually taking it to court and winning, they would still go for a quick, easy win on a small case if only to make their complaint more believable. No matter how crazy or not SCO's actions may seem, this leaves only two possibilities.
1. SCO has no intention of actually sueing anyone else. They have a plan that involves skirting the law, but not technically crossing the line. They are sticking to that plan and not getting drawn "offsides". This plan has (or had) a good chance of making the SCO execs money, even if it ruins the company. It has (or had) a good chance that legal penalties will be avoidable or worth it from the point of view of the initiators, even if legal penalties are possibly savage on some of the followers. It may go wrong, and stick everyone involved in prison, but the odds look acceptable or better (or they looked that way when the plan began). Simply, isn't a crazy plan even if it sometimes looks so from our outsiders perspectives.
2. SCO is nuts. They are so nuts that they are going to deliberately avoid taking an easy action that would greatly improve their chances of overall success. They have no rational goals at all, just totally delusional ones. Somehow, a hundred or so people have built this totally delusional structure and are getting by with it for at least a few more months before it all comes crashing down.
This makes a great test. IF SCO actually sues Google without going after a precident first, then #2, else #1. Matters have progressed to where we can stop considering #3 (SCO is just a little bit nuts - they started with a rational plan, but when it didn't work, they hung in there way too long instead of cutting their losses). I'm betting that SCO won't just suddenly announce a suit against Google, and in time this alone will prove #1 is true.
Who is John Cabal?
If you really believe SCO valuation is too high and based on wrong facts and a strategy that is bound to fail, I guess it is time to short the stock...
:-)
(That's how you make money on a decline in price...... you borrow X units of stock with an agreement to return X units of stock... if they go down in value, you profit from the loss in value... and if they go up, you lose.)
I'm not an investor... but for all you folks who REALLY believe that this isn't going to work because SCO is wrong on the facts.... well, here's a great way to make a tidy profit!
Of course "wrong on the facts" doesn't mean that SCO is going to lose... this is a bet on what will happen, not who is right and who is wrong.
Jeez,
Y'know, I really dislike Microsoft. I mean, _really_ dislike. But sometimes you have to admire how smart they are...
Linux is doing well - encroaching on Balmer's own 'my precious'. What's the Dark Lord done in the past? "Buy them and sink them!". AARGHH, can't do that here. Right, what do we do? Aha, the SCOrks - the perfect solution. Snivelling, pathetic, low life failures; set them up to do the dirty work. OK, that's going well - lots of FUD and chief ork McBride's taking all the flack. Back to the dark tower to continue the quest.
What's next? Ah yes, the next great phase in the plan for total domination - the Winternet. Hmm, nasty Google upstarts are doing better than our own little number. But they're a company - ha ha! Let's buy em. WHHAAT? How dare they reject the Dark Lord's advances. Right, deal with them, but how?
Ahh, the trusty SCOrks. Let them deal with the obstinate upstarts. Fits nicely into the battle plan we commanded them to follow anyway. And all the time, everyone says "the SCOrks are bad! Booo! Down with the SCOrcs! And none of the fools realises the SCOrks are simply my entirely expendable pawns. "Sometimes, my dark genius impresses even me!"
If it is true, then it really makes one ponder
the recent "attempt" to purchase Google by
Microsoft as well as the money that was given
SCO as "licensing" fees from the same.
All this is speculation and conjecture of course
but we do love conspiracy theories here at
render farm of over 6000 Linux PC's
I didn't realize Google was doing 3-D graphics.
Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1398341,00.as p
Note: Blake Stowell doesn't say they won't sue Google, just that they haven't decided on a target yet. He does admit that Google is one of the Fortune 1000 they sent letters to.
This is, of course, just another way for SCO to pump up the stock action. Not really denying the story spreads the rumor, without courting the kind of suit Red Hat slapped them with.
The worst part is that unlike IBM, Google may not have the vast army of lawyers to devote to their defense. Now they're not poor, and they do have lawyers, but nothing like the fancy-pants ones that IBM has on tap.
I can't find a link to the source article anymore, but Google's general outside counsel is Wilson Sonsini in Silicon Valley, considered the top tech law firm and generally one of the top corporate law firms in the country; Google also uses some of the top IP firms in the country for some of their IP needs. Wilson Sonsini or any of the IP firms they use are easily as "fancy-pants" as IBM's lawyers, and definitely can handle anything thrown their way.
It is a FELONY in the United States to send an incorrect or fraudlent invoice in the mail knowningly. If SCO so much as mails a notice requesting ONE PENNY from Google, et al, then the United States Postal Inspectors can get involved. And since SCO has the burden of proof, then SCO will have to prove to the Postal Inspectors in court that there is copyright infringment and Google owes SCO. Further, if SCO is killed in the law suit and found to have violated the GPL knowingly it is further proof for felony convictions.
Now wouldn't that be a great reputation for the Post Office -- the FBI could not get Al Copone, but the IRS could, the FBI did not go after SCO, but the Post Office did....
If you have recieved an invoice or a letter from SCO via snail mail you can report it to the USPS HERE. Then you can scroll down to subject of complain and select "False bill or invoice."
Rember, sometimes unorthidox means need to be used to take out the bad guys. What does the Postal Service have to loose by taking out SCO?
The views expressed are mine own and do not express the views of my employer.
SCO Chief Sues Hospital (C|Net)
SCO CEO Daryl McBride added Our Lady's Hospital of the Imaculate Inspection to the long list of littigants in SCO's ongoing littigation aggainst Linux users.
McBride was taken to the hospital after sustaining injuries while attempting to serve a writ on the penguin enclosure at the Bronx zoo.
While receiving emergency care Mr McBride noticed that the life support machine being used by the hospital was running the Linux operating system. "Its incredible", McBride exclaimed to a C}Net correspondent, "these people think they have the right to save lives using stolen software".
McBride was not available for further comment after falling into a coma. However his lawyers issued a statement confirming that an injunction had been obtained requiring the hospital to immediately cease use of the machines in question and that it would be served "as a matter of utmost urgency".
It is not known at this time how the elephant came to be in the penguin enclosure.
Looking for an Information Security student project suggestion?
Try http://dotcrimeManifesto.com/
This whole drawn-out drama is pure FUD, and nothing but FUD, from the latest of Microsoft's minions. Call it a delaying tactic, a rearguard action, a smokescreen, call it what you will. As long they can keep you stirred up about this, they are achieving their goal. Which is, *anything* to slow the growing tide of disgusted people breaking away from MS and moving toward independence.
SCO knows they can't win in court - it's public perceptions they're playing to.
So simply ignore it, stay focused, and move toward independence anyway. Speak the truth quietly, and move on. Move toward Linux, or move toward Unix, or (even nicer) move toward OS X. Move toward open file formats and cooperative networking standards. Move toward a community of equals and a marketplace of open and honest competition. Well, OK, at least toward a level playing field.
Darl Mcbride is merely the current paymaster and PR man for the current set of lawyers. Simply ignore him, and them. IBM will demolish them soon. MS will just have to bring another FUDbuddy in from the bullpen that much sooner..