Novell Offers Linux Users Legal Indemnity

Anonymous Coward writes "Novell today said it intends to indemnify its enterprise Linux users against possible legal action by The SCO Group and/or others. According to eWeek Novell's new Linux Indemnification Program is designed to provide its SUSE Enterprise Linux customers with protection against intellectual-property challenges to Linux and to help reduce the barriers to Linux adoption in the enterprise. Under the terms of the program, Novell will offer indemnification for copyright infringement claims made by third parties against registered Novell customers who obtain SUSE Enterprise Linux 8 after January 13, 2004, upgrade protection and a qualifying technical support contract from Novell or a Novell channel partner."

Novell

[stefanmi]

CO: No one will indemnify users against us because they know that we're right! There's no defense against our cliams! later... SCO: Novell is indemnifying users against us because they know we're right! So, let me get this straight... According to SCO, Novell is voluntarily indemnifying users because it knows that by doing so it will end up paying out big cash to SCO to make reparations for using SCO's code? Sure. Makes sense to me. (Can you spot the sarcasm?) That's some really SCO'ed up logic for you!

0f c0u453

[Deraj DeZine]

I would assume the security changes will get folded into the next version of the kernel, so yes, of course.

Re:In other words...

[Deraj DeZine]

Heh, "The Moon landing on your head." Ah, that's classic. I mean, that could never happen in a billion years... ... right?

I smell conspiracy!

[SuperBanana]

Under the terms of the program, Novell will offer indemnification for copyright infringement claims made by third parties against registered Novell customers who obtain SUSE Enterprise Linux 8 after January 13, 2004, upgrade protection and a qualifying technical support contract from Novell or a Novell channel partner

Wow. I smell a great conspiracy theory here. SCO's actually the puppet of Novell etc, to get businesses to buy Linux distros from vendors who will indemnify them from the big bully SCO.

I'd discuss my theory more, but I just heard a click on my telephone line and that sounds like a black helicopter nearing the house!

Re:Indemnity is sign of an already-successful atta

[pla]

We shouldn't celebrate just because indemnification is available and say it solves the problem.

I don't think we need to look at this situation in that particular light...

SCO tried going off on yet another FUD tangent (presumeably since as of today, their legal case should cease to exist) by pointing the finger at various Linux-related companies, asking why, if so confident in SCO's lack of a case, they didn't offer to indemnify their clients.

Novel has yet again spiked the ball back, and taken up SCO's challenge.

IMO, the entire situation has gone from legal harassment to playground pissing-contests. "You sound sooooo sure your dog can beat up my dog, why won't you bet on it, you little pussy?". Nothing more, nothing less. In this case, Novel responded by tossing in a quarter and letting its rottweiler off the leash to play with SCO's toy poodle.

If SCO wins?

[El]

Since SCO is essentially a sublicensee of Unix from Novell, then if SCO wins, Novell pays itself, minus a small cut to SCO. Sounds pretty much win-win for Novell to me...

Re:Novell wins either way

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

Anyone else finding it difficult to understand these dealings?

If it smells like poo and looks like poo, it could be fruit flan disguised as poo, but more likely it's just poo.

What has gotten into Novell!?

[Fefe]

They have now missed over a dozen opportunities to do something very stupid! Has someone removed the alien face huggers there or what is happening here?

This would have never happened with the old Novell we all loved to loathe.

I find this deeply disturbing. Stupidity does not simply go away just like that. Where is my tinfoil hat again?

legality?

[Barumpus]

I am not in the legal field and have a question. If a company such as SUSE did in fact infringe upon the itellectual copyright of SCO, is it legally possible to take the users of the software to court? If I went out and purchased a CD package of SUSE and I am not able to decipher the actual code, would I have enough knowledge to determine if parts of it were obtained in a questionable matter? Something like this would hold strong in most courts (IMHO). With out prior knowledge of any wrong doing, I don't think one would need any form of indemnity to help protect them. This site itself is a great example, I know somebody had to write the code that creates these pages but how would we know if the code was made from bits of other sources that is copyrighted intellectual property?

Can anyone shed a little light on this for me?

Re:Risky Business

[Rosco P. Coltrane]

It's as risky as...well...eating a melon with a spoon.

For your information, I tried eating a melon with a spoon. The melon wasn't ripe, so I had to push the spoon quite hard. As a result, bits of melon went flying off to the table next to mine, where an escaped convicted serial murderer happened to be sitting. He grabbed the spoon and proceeded to stab me violently with it. Then he shoved the melon up my..well nevermind the rest.

So you see, I resent that remark!

Re:Mafioso

[damien_kane]

Anyone up for compiling a conspiracy theory or two?

Are you kidding? With all the tinfoil-hat wearing kiddies on here we've probably got 40 or 50 different conspiracy theories that are actually viable, and then another 4 or 5 hundred more each involving at least one of: underpants gnomes, beowulf clusters, natalie portman, soviet russia, or the goatse guy...
It's just that noone can come forward with these theories because if, on the off chance, they happen to be right... they won't be around much longer to talk about it...

SCO defence plan...

[Anonymous Coward]

"Ladies and Gentlemen of this supposed jury, SCO's accusers would certainly want you to believe my client doesn't own the rights to Unix, and they make a good case. Hell, I almost felt pity myself. But Ladies and Gentlemen of this supposed jury, I have one final thing I want you to consider.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk who carried a gun and ran from the mob. But Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor. Now think about it. That does not make sense. Why would a Wookiee, an eight-foot-tall Wookiee, want to live on Endor with a bunch of two-foot-tall Ewoks. That does not make sense.

But more important, you have to ask yourself what does this have to do with this case. Nothing. Ladies and Gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case. It does not make sense. Look at me. I'm a lawyer defending a major Unix company and I'm talkin' about Chewbacca. Does that make sense? Ladies and Gentlemen I am not making any sense. None of this makes sense.

And so you have to remember when you're in that jury room deliberating and conjugating the Emancipation Proclamation, does it make sense? No. Ladies and Gentlemen of this supposed jury it does not make sense. If Chewbacca lives on Endor you must acquit.

I know SCO seems guilty. But ladies and gentlemen this is Chewbacca. Now think about that for one minute. That does not make sense. Why am I talking about Chewbacca when a company is on the line? Why? I'll tell you why. I don't know. It doesn't make sense. If Chewbacca does not make sense you must acquit. Here look at the monkey , look at the silly monkey.

The defense rests."

Proof [trollse.cx]!

Re:does it seem like..

[Thing 1]

Sim, e voce nao sabe Portuguese tambem. N'esc pas?

Je ne parle muy bien francais, mais eu posso ablar Espanol, e eu lembrar um pedaco de Francais: Voulez vouz couchez avec moi ce soir? Uma musica de ois oitentas...