Attachmate To Retain Novell Unix Copyrights

angry tapir writes "Novell's copyrights for the Unix operating system will remain under Attachmate's control as part of the companies' pending merger, a Novell spokesman has revealed. The confirmation, which came in a terse message posted to Novell's website, seems to rule out questions of whether Unix assets are part of some 882 patents being sold to a Microsoft-led consortium, CPTN Holdings, as part of the deal."

Re:Attach-a-who?

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Anyone who uses Linux, BSD, OS X, or any other Unix or Unix-like OS* should care, since the SCO insanity showed that there are numerous bottom-feeders out there who will try to use "owenership of Unix" -- whether or not they actually own it -- as a weapon. It doesn't matter if there's any infringing IP to go after, either; they'll still cause loads of trouble. I have no idea what Attachmate's business practices are like, but Microsoft being able to claim any kind of Unix ownership would be a guaranteed disaster.

*Which, of course, means anyone who uses the internet, even if they don't know it.

Re:We gotta buy them.

[Daniel Dvorkin]

Because open source sucks.

He says, on Slashdot, on the web, on the internet ...

Re:We gotta buy them.

[Zero__Kelvin]

Though I am a long time Microsoft basher (with very good reason) I have to totally disagree with you. A small company with nothing to lose run by a moron (SCO anyone?) is much more likely to try the kind of Hail Mary [wikipedia.org] that any such attempt would constitute. Microsoft, while wrong in many ways, is not that phenomenally stupid. They actually have something to lose, and would be going up against Google, Motorola, HP, IBM, and thousands of other companies single handedly, and even they can't t weather the ill will such a stupid move would garner circa 2011. If it gets in the hands of another Darl McBride, it is still a non-issue, because they are guaranteed to lose, whether you think it is because we are right (which we are of course), or because big money talks. Any way you slice it, worrying about said trademark and who owns it is tantamount to complete foolishness.

Novell & Idam

[narkotix]

i'd say the identity management offerings from Novell are what Microsoft are after. Novell's idam system is superior to pretty much anything bar TIM/TAM or OIM/OAM.

Re:"whether Unix assets are part of some 882 paten

[Anonymous Coward]

You are assuming all patents on any portion of Unix were taken out on it's original creation date, which would be a bad assumption to make. Unless you are saying nothing of importance (or nothing that could be patented) was ever done to unix in the past 20 years, or improved upon in the past 20 years. I wouldn't want to bet on that.

Re:Too late, it is already taken care of

[postbigbang]

Patents under Unix as rendered into the GPL by Novell, the ostensible owner, are real, but mooted by the GPL.

But Novell has plenty of other IP, including its directory services, communications patents, software patents, and so on.

I want to say, if Microsoft has bought some of those and intends to troll the patents (the non-Unix ones), then it's proving once and for all it's no longer inventive, just a patent troller. They've fallen behind in so many ways, and have become so incredibly in-grown.

I don't think the Linux and FOSS communities has to worry much about Microsoft Unix-related litigation, but there's more to Novell than SUSE and Caldera contributions. Lots. Consider, however, that Oracle, Google, IBM, HP, and many others passed up these patents. And they sold for a comparative song. Might not be worth as much as everyone thinks. Perhaps only the lawyers make money on this one.....

Re:We gotta buy them.

[Dr_Barnowl]

This whole "GPL is restrictive compared to the BSD-style licenses" thing seems to be the favourite FUD of the corporate masses now.

It seems to have gained a lot of traction, predictably, because it's true, from a certain point of view.

Yes, the GPL grants you fewer rights than a BSD style license. The most important right that it does not grant you is the right to take the rights of others away by closing the source after you have received it.

So I don't think of GPL as "restrictive" and BSD-style as "permissive". I think of GPL as "freedom-preserving" and BSD as "promiscuous".

Re:We gotta buy them.

[unity100]

freedom nazi eh.... maybe we need that kind of nazi party.

Then why did Microsoft want them?

[plastick]

A terse message posted to Novell's website? Look, Novell... you sold patents to Microsoft period. Of course people are worried. Shame on you.

Microsoft wouldn't buy them if the patents were completely worthless.

Patents far more dangerous than copyrights

[Daniel Phillips]

Regardless of validity or value, patents in Microsoft's hands are far more dangerous than copyrights. By abusing legal process as has been its habit Microsoft can employ its huge cash reserves to cause a great deal of trouble for honest competitors, including volunteers.

In my opinion, Microsoft gaining control of Novell's patent portfolio is a gross violation of antitrust law and this violation should be pursued vigorously and immediately, not in reaction to dirty tricks that are sure to follow (caveat: I am not a lawyer).