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SCO Caught Copying
linuxwrangler writes "While accusing everyone else of copying "their" code, SCO has meanwhile been caught copying documentation. In fact they copied several chapters of the Book of Webmin directly into their online documentation. While the book is available online, it is not licensed for redistribution. Details are sparse but it appears that SCO had to pay the publisher for using the material."
Things are awfully silent around SCO lately...Cat got Darl's tongue?
Hate me!
They paid after the fact to settle the copyright violation. Same as you paying for a speeding ticket because you did bad.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Yea right. I would expect that if you are going to try to destroy companies and extort money as such SCO has you would be cleaner than St. Peter. But nothing surprises me.
So if they paid the publisher for the documentation, why is this even a story?
Because the were stealing, and like... not respecting the inviolable rights of someone else to not have their stuff pinched. They're terrorists like Linux Torvols.
Because, if you RTFA you will notice the words "copyright infringement settlement." In other words, they took without authorization first, got caught, then paid.
While accusing everyone else of copying "their" code, SCO has meanwhile been caught copying documentation
Hypocrits? ONLINE? My gosh... what is this world coming to?
<insert witty linux comment here>
The irony here is palpable. Not that we expected anything more. Aren't there suspicions that their "Linux Kernel Personality" is a direct Linux ripoff as well?
Error 404 - Sig Not Found
Bad Darl, bad, go to your office with no stock options...
This is not the sig line you are looking for... -- Old Jedi Sig Line Trick
I know I speak for many on /. when I say:
BWAAAAA HAAAAA HAAAA HAAAA HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
thanks, I feel better now.
i'm going issue SCO an invoice for $699.
i know what you're thinking. well it doesn't matter that i don't hold the copyright, isn't that right SCO?
Marge, get me your address book, 4 beers, and my conversation hat.
its not that uncommon for a slimeball to go around and accuse others of doing what they themselves are doing. Thats the first sign of a cheating husband, he starts accusing his wife of running around.
Are we really shocked that SCO was stealing someone elses IP?
Tequila: It's not just for breakfast anymore!
Copyrighs on books published on the web is unconstitutional
- We are the slashdot. Resistance is futile. Prepare to be moderated -
Does this mean that the authors of the Book of Webmin now own the SCO documentation? Cool!
Quite interesting.
You know, I swear that posts are going up faster and faster. I clicked, wrote a quick reply, and when I check, there are 6 other posts saying exactly the same thing as mine.
That'll teach me to be baited in such a blatant way by a question that is so clearly not intended to be replied to.
Just so that I don't come off sounding rediculous or offtopic, let me say something that is original.
SCO as an organization didn't do this. One lazy person or group which was supposed to write documentation decided not to write their own. It may be that we can take this as a compliment to the Book of Webmin. It was so well written that SCO couldn't even improve upon it... wait... is that a compliment?
As to this infringement, I demand RIAA-style copyright sentencing. For each possible infringement SCO should have to pay the maximum fine, multiplied by the total possible number of people who had access to the material. Given that it's posted online on a public site, and not in a limited user base network (ala p2p) this means the entire world population had access and SCO should be fined roughly the total value of all money produced in the world from 1972 to present.
If our justice system is going to let all these companies warp the law as they do it seems only fair they should fall prey to their own tactics.
-- I'm not a pessimist, I'm a realist. It's not my fault that life sucks so much. --
How many times do we have to tell you people - copyright infringement ISN'T STEALING no matter who does it.
I hear SCO can license the Book of Webmin for the low, low price of $699 per document they want to use it in...
"let he who is without sin cast the first lawsuit"
True, however here it did not sound like there was a question of who owned the infringed upon text, it was a clear-cut case of copyright infringement, SCO realized that and paid up.
In the SCO vs World case, the ownership issue is still one that will need to be settled before most of the cases can go anywhere. Expect that if the courts rule that SCO does in fact own the code that they claim to, that plenty of companies with little prompting will pay up.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
Comment removed based on user account deletion
The problem is, they passed the point of no return a while back.
If SCO gives up, they have lost and will go out of business rather quickly. They are not going to be able to settle so easily with IBM because IBM's out for blood.
If SCO plods on, they are most likely to lose. But there's some chance for them to win.
It's also the case that, even if they aren't doing a pump-n-dump on the stock, they are still getting paid huge amounts of money and will continue to do so as long as the company is a operating concern. If they give up, that happens relatively quickly. If they plod along, as long as they can avoid a ruling, they can still get paid.
Gentoo Sucks
SCUM announced today the latest version of their Lawsuit Generator Wizard package. The updated version now has a web enabled user interface. "Using our patented lawsuit generator, companies can quickly and efficiently file numerous complaints without leaving their computer." said Blame Snowell. "People can now generate lawsuits from anywhere that has Internet access", said Darn McNugget, "even from non extradition treaty countries."
The new version has a simpler user interface than previous versions. The user answers a series of simple questions. Many questions are multiple choice.
For instance: "Do you want to sue a [x] current or [_] former [x] customer or [_] business partner? Do you have an existing contract to use against them?
You can specify a defendant, or the software can randomly assign a defendant. Administrivia such as filing the documents with the court, sending copies to the defendant's lawyers, and generating the certificate of service is handled automatically. The Professional Edition will generate motions and memorandums in support of those motions.
New modules in the updated package include the Affirmative Defense generator which automatically answers each of the defendant's counterclaims. For particularly unfavorable counterclaims, a motion to dismiss is automatically generated. In the Professional Edition, a new Case Law History module has been added. This module can find marginally relevant case law and then selectively quote favorable sounding portions using the selective quoting tool.
Industry rumors have been circulating that a new add on module is in the works and was expected to be released last quarter. Lack of this module has apparently been a significant setback to the company. Company officials have been unusually quiet about this. Sources suggest that the rumored package is a Lie Management add on, which can also run stand alone. It has been rumored that the core engine was licensed from Microshaft. Company officials declined to comment.
Anonymous sources told us on condition of remaining unprosecuted, that the Lie Management module can manage competing bundles of lies that are told to multiple parties. The lie consistency checker helps keep stories straight, preventing a runaway lie cascade of escalating magnitude. A bit of truth, from a large predefined gallery, can be mixed in to give documents a professional sense of credibility.
"This is a perfect example of how corporations can benefit from proprietary software over open source software" said analyst Lorra DiDdlings.
Also updated is the Case Scheduling module which generates motions to unnecessarily delay the case. If multiple cases are concurrently in progress, the software is now able to coordinate the motions into a deadlock such that each case depends upon the outcome of the other cases.
Company officials confirmed the development of a companion product, the SEC Filing wizard. This separate package will fully integrate with the Lawsuit Ganerator if both are installed together. Pricing and the expected release date were not available.
Analyst Robber Pretenderle said "I give SCUM a 99% chance of winning their lawsuits based on their statements alone." The company's stock rose quickly on the news. (symbol: SCUM)
About SCUM.
SCUM, the owner of all software operating systems, is the leading provider of business lawsuits worldwide. Suing and threatening customers and business partners in over 86 countries, SCUM provides a full range of litigation fiascos. The recognized leader worldwide in providing lawsuit protection licenses, SCUM has been in business for over 25 years.
SCUM, Lie, and Lawsuit are trademarks of The SCUM Grope. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
This story contains forward looking statements. Investors are advised that some forward looking statements may look further out than the expected life of the company.
Any similarity to the truth is unintentional and purely coincidental.
The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
The book of Webmin is a great reference for a great tool. I've used both to take the initial fear of Linux out of newbie admins. Once I show them how frigging easy even SENDMAIL config is under webmin, they jump right in.
You are not the customer.
The world does not need convincing, the courts do. Popular opinion is not what sways a judge, facts do.
Help Brendan pay off his student loans
"Details are sparse..."
This should prefix ALL slashdot stories.
14:24 < chmeee> I'll say this about SCO: they have great documentation
Darl, it looks like you're in control of two things right now: Jack and Shit. And Jack just left town...
-- @rjamestaylor on Ello
Two more points down, and SCOX will be back where it was before all the lawsuits, down around 3. That level looks likely within a month.
"pimenta no cu do outros é refresco" (red peper in somebody else's arse is refreshment)
What ? Me, worry ?
I wouldn't necessarily assume that.
If IBM wanted this over, they'd have paid off SCO at the start and never let this hit the public media.
No, IBM's business at this point relies upon their ability to ship commercially-supported army-of-consultants software on free operating systems (i.e. Linux). This, more than anything else, is why IBM has helped out Linux. Good feeling among geeks doesn't pay the bills, but competitive advantages do.
If IBM wins, they won't have to worry about anybody else trying to pull a similar stunt in the future. If IBM were to have settled, others might try to do the same sort of racket with them down the road. It also wouldn't prevent SCO from suing other Linux vendors, which also hurts IBM's chances in the Linux market.
Gentoo Sucks
FYI... There is a new article at groklaw describing a ruling in the Canopy vs. Novell case.
For those who don't know, this is yet another case where Canopy (parent company of SCO) says that what is written in the contract isn't as important as the oral agreements they made, and that what the parties agreed to is the opposite of what the written contract says they agreed to.
The price of freedom is eternal litigation.
Yes, SCO was caught violating copyright. Is there any company in the world that doesn't do this, on occasion, by accident, or because some employee pretends he wrote something he didn't? I doubt it.
The test of respecting the copyright, however, isn't *never* violating one, but fixing it when you realize you have. SCO did exactly what it should have, here, and both parties are perfectly satisfied with the result, I should think. SCO's quick action shows that they are eager to demonstrate how much they respect copyrights of others.
Does any of this mean SCO's suit is more or less merited? No, of course not. Does this infringement make them hypocrites? Not unless those filing the lawsuits sanctioned this infringment.
Now, the one point that someone made which has some validity is that SCO is hypcritical to suggest that Linux's review process is tainted, when they themselves are unable to review sufficiently to avoid infringement. SCO has no business complaining about the review process of any software if they cannot guarantee their products are 100% clean (and no one can, of course). SCO has made that argument to make Linux sound out of control and "scary," but it is not really a legal argument, just a tactic.
Like SCO's documentation, Linux is open for review at any time by anyone. Like SCO's documentation, if something infringing is in Linux, it is likely to be noticed by the copyright holder. SCO is saying that they have noticed such a thing, but unfortunately isn't able to point it out. That is what makes this documentation case so cut-and-dry, and the Linux one so out of control.
Personally, I think SCO should put up or shut up...but the fact that they were caught infringing, and made amends doesn't do anything to the validity of their suit. From their point of view (assuming they actually believe there is infringement), they are just asking for the same treatment they offered here.
-Dan
It goes like this.
Good person:
1) Pay for content
2) Get content.
Bad person:
1) Get content.
2) if (Gets_Caught())
Pay_For_Content();
else
Never_Pay();
The point is, they likely wouldn't have paid if they didn't get caught, and they still broke the law. Do you say everything's ok and you're just like a normal, honest citizen after you've served your 4 years in jail for auto theft, or do you have a GTA record?
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Webmin should have sued SCO without mentioning any details that would allow correcting the problem. :>
I just went there and kinda appreciated their way to wave good bye. Apparently being fired gave some of the crew the freedom to finally say what they think about their ex-boss.
Go look yourself:
http://www.sco.pl/
605413? Yes, it's a prime.