Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Novell Offers Linux Users Legal Indemnity

Posted by timothy on from the linux-indemnity-is-the-new-black dept.

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."

6 of 271 comments (clear)

  1. Only support subscribers by thorgil · · Score: 4, Informative

    The promise is only about new SUSE support subscribers.

    --
    Warning: This sig contains a small bug. ==> *
  2. Other indemnities by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yes there was a story a few hours ago about IBM and Intel offering some sort of indemnity, which SCO criticized. This story covers Novell.

    If you claim that a few hours' delay is unacceptable, consider that the legal system typically doesn't move nearly as fast as technology.

  3. Didn't SCO get a court order to.... by beforewisdom · · Score: 5, Informative
    Was not a court order for SCO to present their "evidence" supposed to have come due today 1/12/04?

    If so will not this issue be dieing soon..?

    ( assuming they really do not have a claim )

    Steve

    1. Re:Didn't SCO get a court order to.... by futuramarama · · Score: 5, Informative
      As usual, check Groklaw for the lastest.

      Seems that SCO did indeed submit (so we wait while IBM reads it).

      Now its their turn to put a motion to compel discovery, asking for all modifications ever made by IBM to the System V source code.

      It seems that if SCO doesn't give in (and its unlikely they will), they can drag this out for quite some time.

      --
      "And that solves the mystery of the missing ring" - Bender
  4. Re:Indemnity is sign of an already-successful atta by LinuxMacWin · · Score: 4, Informative

    It is not that Novell suddenly decided to indemnify because of FUD. If you read the article, it says that Novell expects to complete its purchase of SUSE Linux today. If Novell did not own SUSE earlier, it could not have offered the indemnity.

    "Novell executives are also expected to announce on Monday that the SuSE deal has been completed. That will mean that SuSE's Linux distributions join the Novell family of products and allow Novell to offer customers a complete Linux-solution stack and global technical Linux support."

    However, I understand your concern for the FUD maybe becoming successful, and maybe one of the reasons for indemnity.

  5. Check the date of the merger! by bstadil · · Score: 5, Informative
    so it starts January 13th? otherwise you have to buy an 'upgrade package'?

    Or maybe the fact that Novell does not acquire SuSe before 13'th Might have something to do with it. DUH!

    The indemnification program will go into effect on Tuesday, the same day that Novell is expected to complete its $210 million acquisition of the German software company

    --
    Help fight continental drift.