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Novell to Defend Open Source Using Patents

Posted by michael on from the here-he-comes-to-save-the-day dept.

bbsguru writes "As another step in its transition to an Open Source developer, Novell has thrown the considerable weight of its patent portfolio in support of the movement. A letter from Novell North American President Ron Hovesepian to all of their channel partners today said, 'This initiative is aimed at any vendor that tries to mislead customers using intellectual property rights.'"

2 of 230 comments (clear)

  1. Novell SuSE Linux by richie2000 · · Score: 4, Informative
    I recently applied for a Linux eval kit and got a 3-DVD set from Novell with SuSE Linux, both Pro and Enterprise, Groupwise and a lot of other goodies like their Netware implementation for Linux. The program is currently closed, but if they ever re-open it - go for it. The packaging was excellent, SuSE worked fine out-of-the-box and delivery was prompt. They even followed-up with a non-intrusive e-mail a month later asking how it went and pointing me to more resources.

    Novell's running a class act here and they deserve our support so if you're in a position to select a distro for your company, take another look at Novell's offerings. If you download an Enterprise eval version 9, you get 30 days free installation support for it. You can't beat that.

    --
    Money for nothing, pix for free
  2. Re:Double Standard by metlin · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, the way they worded it, it sounded more defensive than otherwise.

    I understand what you mean and the unfortunate hypocrisy, but it did not sound like that - it sounded as though they were trying to protect themselves from sue-happy companies.

    Consider this -

    Consistent with this belief, Novell will use its patent portfolio to protect itself against claims made against the Linux kernel or open source programs included in Novell's offerings, as dictated by the actions of others.

    That sounds more like, if you make claims that are offending our business, we would not take it lightly. It definitely does not sound like they would have a sue-first think-later kinda attitude.

    As appropriate, Novell is prepared to use our patents, which are highly relevant in today's marketplace, to defend against those who might assert patents against open source products marketed, sold or supported by Novell.

    If you sue us with your patents, we'll have to handle you accordingly.

    Come on, that sounds quite benign. Looks to me like they're just trying to protect their interests.