'We're just like the RIAA,' says SCO
By Ashlee Vance in Chicago
Posted: 04/03/2004 at 04:17 GMT
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The SCO Group's masterful public relations tacticians have demanded that the company be compared to fellow IP (intellectual property) crusaders at the RIAA.

"We believe that there are important similarities between our recent legal activities against end users and those actions that have taken place in the recording industry," said SCO CEO Darl McBride, during a conference call today.

"It wasn't until the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) ultimately launched a series of lawsuits against end user copyright violators that the community at large became fully educated regarding the liabilities associated with using copyrighted materials without providing remuneration to the copyright owner. We believe that the legal actions that we have taken and will continue to take will have a similar impact on end users of Unix and Linux."

Does this mean SCO will start suing 13-year-old Linux users? Not yet.

It does, however, mean that SCO has kicked an already religious IP war to the next level, comparing itself to a dubious organization with dubious practices.

SCO professed its love for the RIAA while explaining new lawsuits filed against DaimlerChrysler and AutoZone. The DaimlerChrysler suit primarily revolves around SCO's accusations that the company put bits of Unix Systems V code into Linux. This would be a breach of contract between the two companies, according to McBride. SCO's main beef with AutoZone stems from the car parts seller's use of Linux servers.

(Funny enough, SCO's legal attack mechanism appears to be running on Linux.)

Away from these lawsuits, Judge Brooke Wells in U.S. District Court in Utah demanded that SCO show more of what it calls infringing code to support an earlier suit against IBM. Big Blue was also ordered to produce memos from top executives outlining IBM's Linux strategy.

And even farther away in Australia, an open-source company has filed a complaint with a consumer protection group charging SCO with hurting its business by causing fear around Linux. CyberKnights accuse SCO of being too vague in its assault against Linux. If only someone had thought of that earlier.

Have a alook at what the CyberKnights are up to.

And so ends one of the busier days in the SCO-Linux affair. Does it get any better than this? ®


http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/36007.html



Also in a related story;

SCO opens online IP store

"Desktop users can also scrub their systems clean for $199 a pop. Given SCO's central concern with Unix SMP code put into Linux, this price seems a tad high."

http://theregister.com/content/53/35757.html

"The SCO Group's masterful public relations tacticians have demanded that the company be compared to fellow IP (intellectual property) crusaders at the RIAA. " ...that's just plain funny as heck....

DEMANDED they be compared to the RIAA....
OK SCO...you're a bunch of a-holes too...Happy Now?

Oh, now I get it. I've heard about Linux, but I didn't know who the SCO Group was and why they want to be like the RIAA. Caldera changed its name to SCO and explain their rights to their IP at: http://www.thescogroup.com/scosource/

I want to be compared to Justin Timberlake.

They want to "meet customer's needs." And if you "purchase this license (you)will be held harmless against past and future copyright violations." Like when the RIAA asked for people to confess back in September and be spared from the cost and pain.

Why, leflaw?

< raises hand >

May I be compared to Leonardo Da Vinci please?

I like anyone who came up with modern inventions like the tank, airplanes, etc...
centuries before engines were available to make their designs practical...

And I like writing in reverse to fool my enemies

Hehe, nice picture. I laughed my butt off when I found this last night on google. What a bunch of nut jobs. I laugh and the day I pay them 199 dollars for a tiny peace of code invented over 30 years ago and given to the linux community around 20 years ago, will be the day I die. These basterds bought the rights to unit in the early 90's i believe, that was almost ten years after linux was developed from the workings and concepts of unix by the same people that invented unix specifically intended to be a free alternative operating system for end users. SCO never did a damn thing. In my opinion they have no right to take back authorization to use the code after their predecsers had already given that right to the linux community. It would be like EMI buying the rights to electronic gypsi (I know, over your dead body, but just suppose) and suddenly told everyone that had downloaded an mp3 that they needed to immediatly delete the files or pay them hundreds of dollars per song for the right to listen.

I demand to compared to Kevin Bacon.

and screw SCO. screw them right in their ear.

SCO officially joins the Losers' Club

I love it tho...but hate it too. The thing I love about is that these corporations are showing their true colors!

Their is a lot of people out there who would generally just wouldn't care about these things and act so passive about these companies greed. But the thing is..all this foolish suing...the more it increases..the more its gonna force the opublic to finally wake and smell the tea bags.

Right now dudes..we are at the recruitment level. Years ago some very intelligent people who had no social skills would go through life without ever exercising their talents and the world was run by corps. However with the internet, there are some very intelligent guys who don't have to worry about socializing..they can use the internet as their platform seriously wage war on these assholes. Corporations had lots of power then because they had advantage..but now they are up against the brain power of millions of people....and some real intelligent people who have ideas of changing this shit around.

We will win guys...eventually we will win.

Inspiring zxilton, I hope it holds true.