Bonum Certa Men Certa

OpenForum Europe (IBM et al) and Linux Foundation Are Boosting and Cooperating With Enemies of Software Freedom

Video download link



Summary: IBM and its front group (OFE) give a platform to some truly dodgy people, whose interests deviate greatly from the ideals of Free software

LATELY we've been writing a lot more than usual about Red Hat/IBM, seeing that more people now recognise we were right all along. The crackdown on CentOS (as if its users are 'pirates' or something) was an illuminating moment or a wake-up call to those out there who had long assumed IBM would promote Free software. We weren't among those optimists, knowing the history, objectives and policies of IBM, including the patent blackmail (not to mention IBM's aggressive lobbying against 35 U.S.C. ۤ 101/Alice, a SCOTUS decision that defanged software patents, as well as pushback against the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) because inter partes reviews (IPRs) invalidate IBM patents).



"It is also noteworthy that this IBM front group (OFE) along with the Foundation are openly liaising with corrupt officials who promote Free software-hostile policies."Someone has brought to our attention this Linux Foundation/IBM 'tag team' act, sponsored by IBM to lobby the European Commission next week. The 'event' (webinar) features IBM people and Benoît Battistelli's friend, Thierry Breton, who has covered up the many EPO crimes. He's also pushing for software patents while António Campinos is in Office, misusing laughable buzzwords like "HEY HI" (AI). That IBM and the 'Linux' Foundation are lobbying together ought not shock us. We've often spoken about Microsoft takeover of the Foundation, but one company that's always a step ahead is IBM (many staff members in the Foundation have IBM background, more so than Microsoft).

It is also noteworthy that this IBM front group (OFE) along with the Foundation are openly liaising with corrupt officials who promote Free software-hostile policies. What's IBM thinking?

Governor Schwarzenegger's Message Following this Week's Attack on the CapitolThen again, consider IBM's history, which includes facilitating Nazi genocide and eugenics in the US.

Incidentally, someone from the EPO told us "that the EPO management is prompt[ing] to apply Godwin's law..."

Because how dare anyone compare a corporation of executives to Nazis? Even those that profited directly from it?

"Heard from colleagues," the EPO insider told us: "Do you know what NS stands for?, Hum, Nellie Simon!!"

OpenForum Europe logoNot "National Socialist"? Simon is from Austria, the country whose best known person was leader of the Nazi Party. Some say the second-well-known Austrian (albeit a person born after the war) is the person who recently warned about autocrats, having been abused by his Nazi and insensitive father.

It's worth noting that OpenForum Europe is basically fronting for companies that aren't European and it's hardly the only organisation with "Europe" in its name but America (US) in its agenda.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Politicians Ought to Invite Dr. Richard Stallman and Prof. Eben Moglen to Speak About Policies, Licensing, Digital Sovereignty
Is there something in Europe other than RMS' talk this coming Monday (that we're not yet aware of)?
Good Explanation of Why IBM Has Chosen to Conceal Mass Layoffs (of 'Expensive' Staff) as "R.T.O." (Even For People Who Never Worked at the Office to Which They're Ordered to "Return")
Many remaining IBM (or Red Hat) workers in Europe are in "cheaper" places such as Brno
Microsoft's Serial Strangler and Matthew J. Garrett Join Forces in Trying to Gag Techrights (for Exposing Microsoft Corruption and Crimes Against Women)
Whose terrible idea was it?
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Proud to Host Free Software Talk by Richard Stallman
ahead of Monday's talk
Slopwatch: Anti-Linux Machine-Generated FUD (LLM Slop) From GBHackers, CybersecurityNews, and Guardian Digital, Inc (Google News Promotes Slop Plagiarism, Misinformation)
Companies that lie try to drown out the signal with falsehoods
 
Links 22/02/2025: OpenAI Plans to Possibly Abandon Microsoft, Facebook Doubles Execs' Bonuses While Sacking Thousands
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/02/2025: Weekend Chill and Programming Thoughts
Links for the day
Links 22/02/2025: Labour Department Investigates Microsoft Infosys Amid Mass Layoffs, Large Law Firms Caught Red Handed With LLM Slop (Defrauding Clients and Courts)
Links for the day
Gemini Links 22/02/2025: Analog Stuff, Sigil, and SSGs
Links for the day
Microsoft's Market Share in Cameroon Falls to New Lows
This means a lot of Android users (iOS is about 4 times smaller), but Android does not mean freedom
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, February 21, 2025
IRC logs for Friday, February 21, 2025
The Streisand Effect is Real
So don't be evil. Also, don't strangle women.
Links 21/02/2025: Linux Foundation Openwashing, Microsoft Copilot Goes Down
Links for the day
Links 21/02/2025: Doomscrolling and European Ham Radio Show
Links for the day
Links 21/02/2025: TikTok Layoffs, WebOS Software Patents in Bad Hands
Links for the day
Gemini Links 21/02/2025: Web Browsers, Mechanical Shortcuts, and Internet Hygiene
Links for the day
Richard Stallman 'Only' Founded the FSF
there's no reason to be upset at the FSF for keeping their founder in the Board
Techrights Disconnected From the United States Two Years Ago
Did people really need to wait for the US government to become this hostile towards the media before recognising the threat?
Before Trying Censorship by Extortion the Serial Strangler From Microsoft Literally Begged Us to Delete Pages
This is very clearly just a broad campaign of intimidation
Hype Watch: Weeks After Microsoft Disappointed Investors With "Hey Hi" It's Trying Some "Quantum" Hype (Adding Impractical Vapourware to Accompany This Hype and Even LLM Slop in 'News' Clothing)
Remember "metaverse"? What happened to media hype about "blockchain" and "IoT"?
Report About February Mass Layoffs at Microsoft (Third Wave of Microsoft Layoffs in 2025) Comes Back From the Dead
Yesterday we wrote about an article in CRN (reporting Microsoft layoffs) being removed without any reasons specified
Links 21/02/2025: Myanmar Scam Centre and Disruptions at USPTO
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, February 20, 2025
IRC logs for Thursday, February 20, 2025
gbhackers.com is Not Hackers, It's LLM Slop Outputs (Fake 'Articles') That Attack 'True Hackers'
A site called linuxsecurity.com keeps doing this and now we see the slopfarm gbhackers.com doing the same
Gemini Links 20/02/2025: Law of Warming and Cooling, Health, and Devlog
Links for the day
linuxsecurity.com Continues to Spread Lies or Machine-Generated FUD (Microsoft LLMs Likely the Source) About OpenSSH and Linux
this LLM problem is global
Links 20/02/2025: Microsoft Infosys Layoffs and IRS Layoffs (Good News for Rich Tax Evaders)
Links for the day
IBM Layoffs in Europe Already Happening or Underway (UK and Spain). They Try Not to Call These "Layoffs".
"CIO" in particular was repeatedly mentioned lately, as was Consulting
People Who Came From Microsoft Demanding Removal of Articles About Them, About Microsoft, and About Microsoft GitHub is "Generous" (According to Them)
Imagine choosing a law firm that borrows money in the same year just to avoid overdraft in the bank!
Possibly a Third Round of Mass Layoffs at Microsoft in 2025 ("Cloud Solution Architects, Customer Roles"), Report Removed or Censored
This is literally the top story for "microsoft layoffs" right now
Instead of 'DoS Protection' Cloudflare is Allegedly Conducting 'DoS Attacks' on Users of Browsers Other Than Firefox and GAFAM's DRM Sandboxes (Chrome, Safari and Others)
If you value the Web, you will avoid Cloudflare
Mixing Real With Fake in One 'Article' (by "Director of Content, Help Net Security")
From what we can gather, he got machines to generate some slop for him
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
IRC logs for Wednesday, February 19, 2025