01.18.09

Microsoft Studies How to Use Intellectual Property Against GNU/Linux

Posted in IBM, Intellectual Monopoly, Microsoft, Patents, Red Hat at 11:36 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

“…Microsoft wished to promote SCO and its pending lawsuit against IBM and the Linux operating system. But Microsoft did not want to be seen as attacking IBM or Linux.”

–Larry Goldfarb, Baystar, key investor in SCO

EXTRACTED FROM this antitrust exhibit [PDF] (context here), everyone should a look at what a Microsoft vice president wrote about GNU/Linux:

5. We need someone to tear down the indemnification offered from RedHat and IBM to customers. We need to understand exactly the risk a customer is under if a patent lawsuit happens and Linux is challenged. I’d like Dan to own this. There MUST be risks to customers that are being passed on. I want this understood precisely. We need to get the license from IBM given to customers and investigate.

That was said less than 6 months before SCO attacked Linux. The same goes for this reference to SCO and Novell from Microsoft’s General Manager in India. █

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