Red Hat Appears to Have Done More Against Acacia (Patent Troll)

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2010-05-02 01:39:19 UTC
Modified: 2010-05-02 01:39:19 UTC

Summary: The two companies in red defended themselves against a Microsoft-associated patent troll, but details about the trial remain limited even after its conclusion; no statement from Novell yet

YESTERDAY we shared the press release from Red Hat as soon as it arrived. The short story is that Acacia gets defeated as GNU/Linux triumphs, again. It is a different story when companies with software patents actually name the patents rather than engage in racketeering [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7].

Anyway, this morning in the news we found just 3 articles which discussed the case right after the press release. Boston (near Novell) has the following almost-identical pair of articles:

Red Hat Inc. and Novell Inc. won a verdict in a case brought by a Texas company that claimed their Linux-based products infringed patents for ways to share icons across computer workstations.

Waltham’s Novell and Red Hat of Raleigh, N.C., won a federal verdict in a case brought by a Texas company that claimed their Linux-based software products infringed patents for ways to share icons across computer workstations.

The press near Red Hat does not even mention Novell in the opening:

Red Hat has won a legal fight with a small Texas company that claimed the Raleigh-based software maker infringed on its patents.

Is it possible that Red Hat did most of the work to thwart the lawsuit? It did appear that way at times. There is no word from Novell, either. Did Novell do less in this case or is it just bragging less? It is worth adding that Novell's defense in the SCO case can be seen as selfish from Novell's point of view; UNIX copyrights are probably worth a lot of money. Added below are the latest stories about SCO vs. Novell. ⬆ _____ [1] Unix copyrights: SCO want a new ruling

[2] SCO: jurors too busy Facebooking to rule on Unix claim

[3] Circular Arguments

[4] Daily Dose - HP to Buy Palm

SCO Won't Give Up on Unix Copyright Battle After a US judge (in 2007) and later a jury (a few weeks ago) ruled that Novell owned the copyrights to Unix, SCO still wants to continue the legal battle that has caused themselves to go bankrupt.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Libya's Share on the Web: 5.2% GNU/Linux: GNU/Linux has hit an all-time high there
Codecs and Software Patents - Part VI - The European Patent Office, Nokia, Microsoft, Sisvel, and More: Whatever Nokia used to be, it's certainly not an ally and a lot of the turmoil at the EPO is the fault of companies like Nokia
Microsoft XBox Staff Know They're in Trouble, They Try to Unionise Ahead of Mass Layoffs: As the slang goes, it's going to be a "bloodbath"
If It Takes You a Second to Serve (or Receive) a Page, That's Definitely Too Slow: For speeds at milliseconds (e.g. for pages to fully load in a tenth of a second) the pages must be ready to be sent as soon as they're requested
It's Not About Speed, It is About Patience and Adherence to Truth, Principles, Scientific Integrity: attacks on us only ever made us stronger - a lesson that our adversaries have learned the hard way
Cyber Show Does it Like Techrights: Static and Gemini Protocol as 'First-Class Citizen': HTML and GemText (over Gemini Protocol) would be rendered in tandem
SLAPP Censorship - Part 73 Out of 200: Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett Remain Closely Connected in May 2026 ("Tag-Teaming" Against Bloggers in Another Continent): The phrase "judge a person by their friends" seems applicable here
Discussions About When the Axe Falls at IBM/Kyndryl (11,000 Layoffs Estimated): "Kyndryl restructuring should reduce overhead functions and reduce the number of managers that lack technical knowledge"
A World After Microsoft (and GAFAM) and After GitHub Shuts Down: the only growth area is debt
Fake News, Propaganda, and Misinformation: Microsoft Investing Money It Does Not Have in "Hey Hi" (for "Entertainment Purposes" Only): This will not end well
Today the Whole European Patent Office (EPO) is on Strike and Next Monday an Even Bigger Strike: the media refuses to cover these and is thus complicit
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part IXX - EPO Management Speaks of Reputation and Integrity While Putting Cocaine Addicts in Management: If the EPO values its "reputation", then it needs to start by ousting the management
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, May 10, 2026: IRC logs for Sunday, May 10, 2026
Links 11/05/2026: Security Breaches, Politics, and Energy Crunch: Links for the day
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: "Accidental Cameras" and "Addictive" Interfaces in Social Control Media: Links for the day
Codecs and Software Patents - Part V - A Reminder That GAFAM and the European Patent Office (Which Serves American Monopolists) Do Considerable Harm to the Commons and Culture: some 'breaking' developments
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: Inkscape, Guix, and Alhena 5.5.8: Links for the day
The "Alicante Mafia" at the European Patent Office (EPO) Experiments With New Methods for Crushing Industrial Actions: Open letter to VP1 and the COO [...] What does this tell us about the status quo at the European Patent Office, Europe's second-largest institution?
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part XVIII - "The European Patent Office (EPO) has a zero-tolerance policy for fraud" (except when managers do it): The guidebook of the EPO says fraud is not to be tolerated, but who enforces or revisits such "Red Lines"?
Links 10/05/2026: Hantavirus Brings Back 'Contact Tracing' Surveillance, "Staple Food Prices Soar in Iran": Links for the day
Links 10/05/2026: Fake Suicide Notes and New EU Restrictions on Slop: Links for the day
SLAPP Censorship - Part 72 Out of 200: Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett Signed Documents That Hold Them Accountable to Truth and Liable for Lies: Such collaborations are unsavoury and apparently unprofessional, too
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, May 09, 2026: IRC logs for Saturday, May 09, 2026
Gemini Links 10/05/2026: Travelling to Van and "Dark Mode" as Passing Fad: Links for the day
IBM's Kyndryl Holdings Inc Sank 70-75% in 'Value' in 10 Months, Will IBM Follow?: Kyndryl Holdings Inc now has a debt considerably higher than this company is said to be 'worth'!
Belated Sovereignty: GNU/Linux in Iran Skyrockets to 6% Amid Armed Conflict: unless they're truly in control of their networks, hardware and software, somebody else can control them
Gemini Links 09/05/2026: Liberation, The Nocturnals, Rediscovering Internet Radio, and More: Links for the day
Links 09/05/2026: Kremlin’s Biggest Day of the Year and FBI's Attack on the Media (to Save Face): Links for the day
Google is "Bullshit": Fix your slop, Google. It's broken.
SLAPP Censorship - Part 71 Out of 200: 5RB Barristers Made Tens of Thousands of Pounds by Changing From Plural to Singular for Microsoft's Graveley and Garrett: Could not even get the client's name right
Links 09/05/2026: "Grand Theft Oil Futures" and Mass Layoffs at Verizon: Links for the day
Gemini Links 09/05/2026: Inkscape "Copy Text Style" and NomadNet: Links for the day
The Corrupt Lecture the Non-Corrupt - Part XVII - European Patent Office (EPO) Management Not Sharing Responsibility for Financial Resources: For those who wonder, EPO strikes are still going on
Over at Tux Machines...: GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Friday, May 08, 2026: IRC logs for Friday, May 08, 2026