MESSAGE
| DATE | 2010-11-28 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
|
| SUBJECT | Re: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] "Novell also plans to sell some intellectual
|
On Sun, Nov 28, 2010 at 12:39:04PM -0500, Ron Guerin wrote:
> Ruben Safir wrote:
> > On Mon, Nov 22, 2010 at 08:20:00PM -0500, Paul Robert Marino wrote:
> >
> >> Although there is a silver lining in this. > If Microsoft goes
> >> the SCO route with litigation it would rais an intresting conflict
> >> between software patent law and anti trust law that in the passt
> >> has always been worked around by breaking up a company >
> >>
> >
> >
> > EXCELLENT point. The thing is that MS just isn't as selfdetructive as
> > SCO.
> >
> >
>
> My two cents is that all of this is true (including previous comments
> about BSD being in the same boat as Linux), except that Linux is
> regarded as a serious competitor by Microsoft (moreso than Apple
> apparently), BSD not, and Unix much less so than before. BSD will be
> vulnerable in the same ways Linux is, but it's probably just too
> insignificant for Microsoft to bother caring about.
>
> In the meantime, we still don't know which patents, or much about this
> "Microsoft-organized consortium", but it's probably harmless, more of a
> defensive patent pool than anything else. Novell has after all, in the
> past, managed to extract some significant sums from Microsoft
> infringements. They're just as afraid of Novell's patents as we are of
> them acquiring those patents.
>
> At the end of the day, the problem continues to be not someone's
> specific patents, but that software patents are granted to anyone for
> any reason.
>
> And I'll add to Ruben's remark, in that Microsoft originally provided
> SCO with significant assistance, .... until Darl McBride started
> blabbing about it in the press. Microsoft then had nothing to do with
> SCO. They're many things in Redmond, but not suicidal. Microsoft won't
> be caught anywhere near Son of SCO. Microsoft's whole schtick is FUD
> and publicizing sucker licensing deals whereby Microsoft finds a sucker
> who'll pay them, or receive other consideration, or at least endure the
> embarrassment of being seen accepting a license to use Linux.
>
OTOH - they spent nearly a half billion dollars for those patents...
Even in the world of Silicon Vally Monopolies, that is bigger than chump
change.
Ruben
> - Ron
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