What the GPLv3 Means for MS-Novell Agreement

eldavojohn writes to mention IT Business Edge has a dry but interesting interview with a lawyer (Antoinette Tease) on the effects the GPLv3 on the Microsoft & Novell alliance. From her answers: "Unlike prior versions of the GNU General Public License (GPL), which did not address patent rights, the current draft of the GPL version 3 has several provisions that address patent rights. Section 2 states that the license to use the open source code 'terminates if you bring suit against anyone for patent infringement of any of your essential patent claims' based on any version of the open source program." She goes on to say "the GPLv3 as currently drafted would impose an obligation on Novell to somehow 'shield' its customers from patent lawsuits brought by Microsoft, or, alternatively, to make the source code publicly available..."

Comments

SUPPORT THE GPLV3 NOW

[scenestar]

This could mean the FINAL BLOW to the evil empire

MSFT is quietly trying to weasel it's way into the linux world through Novell

Without their Novell patent strongarming they have no single foothold within the Linux world.