[oclug] Canadian LUGs and SCO

[Shad Young]

On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 08:16:27 -0400
"Francis J. A. Pinteric" <linuxdoctor at linux.ca> wrote:

> On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 07:12:03 -0400
> Milan Budimirovic <milan.budimirovic at sympatico.ca> wrote:
> 
> > I would hope not. If SCO's execs are launching a frivolous lawsuit
> > and knowingly making false or exaggerated public claims about the
> > strength of their case in order to inflate their stock price
> > artificially, that would make them guilty of securities fraud.
> > 
> 
> That is precisely why we must organize and fight back with a major
> lawsuit.  Their FUD is damaging the reputation of Linux and the
> ability of people in this new `industry' to make money.  As I've
> pointed out before, every "linux professional" who has failed to gain
> a contract because of this FUD can hold SCO liable for that loss.

Personally, I think the major law suit should be two pronged.

1) Against SCO who is as you mentioned, intentionally hurting the
reputation of Linux with out disclosure.

2) Against IBM. If SCO wins, or even fully discloses the contentious
source code which we can then verify for ourselves, then a second suit
against IBM who knowingly donated IP or derived work that was not legal
for them to distribute. 

The reason I suggest this is IBM has its own high priced law firm. They
are not a stupid company and they know very well the legalities of their
actions. If SCO successfully demonstrates its case, and it may well,
then IBM pulled a gambit with us as the pawns.  This is unacceptable and
we, the men and women who have worked and fought so hard to make Linux
what it is today, need to make a point: We will not lay down while major
corporations use us for their own ends.

Linux started and was driven by the world community of volunteers and
ultimately, if we want it to remain ours, we are the ones who have to
stand up and fight. Fight all of those who would use us and manipulate
us for our own ends.

I'm also a tad dubious that Linus and the other Kernel developers were
unaware of the legal implications of accepting donated code. I'm
beginning to feel like everybody was simply maximizing their own
potential; either for earnings or for ego with out regard to the damage
it would cause in the end to those who had no way of protecting
themselves and who put their reputations on the line in good faith.

Vive la liberation du Pingouin!

-- 
Shad Young -- shad at ascendant.ca
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. - H.S. Thompson
-------
Articles and writers needed: http://www.ascendant.ca click on "Articles"
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : http://tux.oclug.on.ca/pipermail/oclug/attachments/20030726/fbdfecc7/attachment.bin