Re: the source, so to speak, of the SCO lawsuit

I'm not sure what law or proposed law you're refering to here.
I haven't seen anyone actually accuse Microsoft of anything illegal.

I'm also not sure that Microsoft's stature (internationally or 
otherwise) has anything to do with this case as is.

As for Microsoft paying SCO for licensing, lets not forget that MS owned 
a majority share of SCO and produced their own version of UNIX (Zenix(?)).
SCO was paying major royalties to MS for years after Zenix, that ended 
in 1997 when MS agreed to allow SCO to remove the parts of MS code from 
SCO's UNIX version.
At the time SCO was asking that Microsoft pay back the years of 
royalties they were forced to pay, they claimed that Microsofts 
contracts and licensing held back the development and marketing of SCO 
UNIX and therefore they suffered losses.
(http://news.com.com/2100-1001-205711.html)

It may be safe to assume that SCO would go after MS if/when they won 
this IP issue on any level. (if not for any reason other than to make a 
few bucks before they go under).

So it may actually be possible that Microsoft is using their brain in 
this case.

but then again...

 From a semi-skeptical view,
MS wants to discredit the GPL the best they can, to enforce their 
opinion that GPL is volotile and cannot be included within proprietary 
software, and whatever else their reasoning is to keep people using 
completely closed proprietary software.

Although there have be studies (as well as common sense) that prove them 
wrong. (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/04/24/1050777342086.html)
It's still in their best interest to discredit GPL and Opensource as a 
whole, however subtle they think they're being.

As much as I dislike Microsoft and hate their Marketing strategies, I 
haven't found a reason to assume they are doing bad here....
Unless of course, they're trying to aquire rights to unix code so they 
can collect royalties from everyone (everyone not already paying them 
royalties anyway) and even come out with their own MS-Linux version..:)

I'm sure we all can come up with a ton of speculations about this.

Any of these speculations and reasons all sum up to one thing.
Microsoft is worried (or possibly hopefull) that SCO will win this case.



Taran Rampersad wrote:
> Well, here's the twist. Because of Microsoft's stature - 
> *internationally* (something CONUS Americans forget, I think) - wouldn't 
> any such suit in the U.S. be an international issue? Out here on this 
> little island I am floating, we're sort of looking at this as an 
> interesting prize fight - which we've been forced to bet on.
> 
> At least EU hasn't folded.
> 
> So - a stupid question: Is there international law regarding this? I 
> doubt it. Maybe there should be.

> Perhaps governments of other countries should start knocking on the door 
> and asking questions. Nah. Won't happen with the foreign policy 
> shenanigans going on now (right or wrong, they are shenanigans). eGovOS? 
> I don't think that they would be interested in such things. I could be 
> wrong.
> 
> Quite scary seeing all this paralysis.
> 
> Meanwhile... something you all should consider.... why would Microsoft 
> license stuff from SCO, and perhaps encourage SCO to come up with this 
> red herring (maybe a smoking red herring, we'll see
> 
> What does Microsoft have to gain? I've got a few dots... maybe they can 
> be connected.
> 
> Since I kind of saw this coming with SCO, with MS in the background, and 
> the fact that the 'leaked' internal memo from Microsoft stated something 
> along the lines of "Linux must not win", and the fact that Microsoft is 
> dropping prices in key markets (Latin America, for one, which includes 
> the Caribbean, which includes the island I am on) to compete with 
> Linux... Since I've noticed one Microsoft employee down here getting 
> distros, and privately emailing me about kernel level programming... and 
> considering the history of how Linux came to be... and that Longhorn has 
> been downscaled in functionality (perhaps there's a black project at MS 
> where developers are needed?)
> 
> If SCO wins any PART of this, and Microsoft licenses it/buys out SCO, 
> then Microsoft is holding some key cards. The joke about Microsoft's 
> Linux could become a reality. It looks like a possibility to me, but...
> 
> If SCO loses, and if what the GNU project did with Unix comes to the 
> fore. I'm thinking about the quotes SCO has on it's site - one of them 
> being RMS's 'quote' about the GNU project being a subversive hack... if 
> Microsoft does it afterwards... or during... what then? FOSS Source code 
> is an open book, and if there is one proprietary company that has the 
> resources to do this if they chose to, this would be it.
> 
> Win-win from a Microsoft perspective. Meanwhile, they are maintaining 
> market share, and advancing as much as they can... Linux and thus FLOS 
> is getting dragged in the dirt... The Microsoft name becomes more 
> concrete... well done.
> 
> The more I look at it, the more this isn't about Linux, or whatever. 
> Seems to me that this is about Microsoft marketshare, and the fact that 
> FOSS has got them so worried that they're pulling the stops out. They 
> did it with Lotus, and many other companies. The U.S. legislature isn't 
> too keen on legislating against one of the major exporters (and RIAA 
> happenings also indicate this)... Consider  who is writing the Iraq 
> Copyright laws... Rosen ( 
> http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/6/30441.html )...
> 
> Personally... after all of these roughly hewn thoughts thrown out 
> here... I'd have to say that the U.S. legislature will turn a blind eye 
> to most of this (at least under the present administration), and that 
> because of foreign policy other governments as well. The only way around 
> this that I see is education of governments external to the U.S. on 
> these issues (we're trying where we are), and this going back to the 
> philosophical issue.
> 
> Perhaps more focus on countries external to the U.S. is an important 
> factor. Maybe not. I think it is.
> 
> That's my two cents from the peanut gallery. If anyone thinks I'm off 
> course anywhere, let me know.  I don't claim to be perfick.
> 
> Taran
> http://www.floscaribbean.org
> http://www.knowprose.com
> 
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