Novell Offers Linux Users Legal Indemnity

Anonymous Coward writes "Novell today said it intends to indemnify its enterprise Linux users against possible legal action by The SCO Group and/or others. According to eWeek Novell's new Linux Indemnification Program is designed to provide its SUSE Enterprise Linux customers with protection against intellectual-property challenges to Linux and to help reduce the barriers to Linux adoption in the enterprise. Under the terms of the program, Novell will offer indemnification for copyright infringement claims made by third parties against registered Novell customers who obtain SUSE Enterprise Linux 8 after January 13, 2004, upgrade protection and a qualifying technical support contract from Novell or a Novell channel partner."

Comments

Novell

[stefanmi]

CO: No one will indemnify users against us because they know that we're right! There's no defense against our cliams! later... SCO: Novell is indemnifying users against us because they know we're right! So, let me get this straight... According to SCO, Novell is voluntarily indemnifying users because it knows that by doing so it will end up paying out big cash to SCO to make reparations for using SCO's code? Sure. Makes sense to me. (Can you spot the sarcasm?) That's some really SCO'ed up logic for you!

I smell conspiracy!

[SuperBanana]

Under the terms of the program, Novell will offer indemnification for copyright infringement claims made by third parties against registered Novell customers who obtain SUSE Enterprise Linux 8 after January 13, 2004, upgrade protection and a qualifying technical support contract from Novell or a Novell channel partner

Wow. I smell a great conspiracy theory here. SCO's actually the puppet of Novell etc, to get businesses to buy Linux distros from vendors who will indemnify them from the big bully SCO.

I'd discuss my theory more, but I just heard a click on my telephone line and that sounds like a black helicopter nearing the house!

Re:Indemnity is sign of an already-successful atta

[pla]

We shouldn't celebrate just because indemnification is available and say it solves the problem.

I don't think we need to look at this situation in that particular light...

SCO tried going off on yet another FUD tangent (presumeably since as of today, their legal case should cease to exist) by pointing the finger at various Linux-related companies, asking why, if so confident in SCO's lack of a case, they didn't offer to indemnify their clients.

Novel has yet again spiked the ball back, and taken up SCO's challenge.

IMO, the entire situation has gone from legal harassment to playground pissing-contests. "You sound sooooo sure your dog can beat up my dog, why won't you bet on it, you little pussy?". Nothing more, nothing less. In this case, Novel responded by tossing in a quarter and letting its rottweiler off the leash to play with SCO's toy poodle.

If SCO wins?

[El]

Since SCO is essentially a sublicensee of Unix from Novell, then if SCO wins, Novell pays itself, minus a small cut to SCO. Sounds pretty much win-win for Novell to me...

Re:Novell wins either way

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Anyone else finding it difficult to understand these dealings?

If it smells like poo and looks like poo, it could be fruit flan disguised as poo, but more likely it's just poo.

What has gotten into Novell!?

[Fefe]

They have now missed over a dozen opportunities to do something very stupid! Has someone removed the alien face huggers there or what is happening here?

This would have never happened with the old Novell we all loved to loathe.

I find this deeply disturbing. Stupidity does not simply go away just like that. Where is my tinfoil hat again?