[Tech] Testo della lettera ''minatoria'' inviata da SCO alle top 1500

SCO pretende di essere l'unica legittima "proprietaria" di ampie porzioni del kernel di GNU/Linux, che a suo dire sarebbe stato assemblato scopiazzando ampiamente dal codice sorgente di SCO Unix, e di conseguenza ha chiesto alle principali 1.500 aziende USA che usano o sviluppano soluzioni Linux (IBM compresa) di pagare una regolare licenza d'uso per il "suo" software.



Ora Pamela Jones pubblica su Groklaw la trascrizione di una delle lettere inviate da SCO alle "top 1500" USA nelle scorse settimane, accompagnata dai suoi commenti:

Step right up and take a look. Here is the letter that IBM received from SCO as one of "the notoriouos gang of 1500". Who knew that being a successful company would turn out to be so unpleasant? It's Exhibit I attached to IBM's Amended Counterclaims. Thanks to Palle Raabjerg for transcribing it for us now as text and to our intrepid volunteer who got hold of the paper exhibit from the court. Here is the original of the letter to IBM, so you can compare.



You will notice some grammar errors, but they are SCO's, not Palle's. You will also notice that what Darl wrote differs considerably from what OSDL yesterday showed the actual Linux kernel development process to be like. "Numerous unrelated and unknown software developers" indeed. What hogwash.



Now that Linus has a lawyer, maybe they'll take note and consider if the necessary elements for an action for defamation are now available. They are hard cases to win, particularly for a public figure, so they may not want to go that route, but for sure one element is now in place: statements of demonstrably untrue facts. And if Darl, or anyone else, for that matter, repeats Darl's description of the Linux development process now that OSDL has explained how the process really works, that would seem to meet another element: that the party accused of defamation had knowledge that what was said was not true. You also need to prove malice. Heh heh. Herculean task, that. My, a defamation suit would feel good. Maybe not to Linus, though. He's not a litigious guy.

Fonte: Groklaw.