[plug] SCO GPLs their UNIX IP

[Leon Brooks]

On Wed, 25 Jun 2003 00:45, Andrew Pamment wrote:
> Ok.. I dont totally understand everything thats going on here, but if
> infact the argument that SCO has GPLed the code apparently put in the
> linux kernel by distributing it on their website, then because the
> GPL requires that no proprietary code be linked with GPL code, would
> that make all the UnixWare code that is linked to the code that sco
> inadvertantly GPLed be GPLed?

Not exactly. The GPL requires any software so distributed to be 
licenceable to all recipients for zero dollars. TSG are knowingly 
distributing more or less their who Linux distribution, including 
source, under the GPL. To do this is either a criminal offence or an 
acceptance of the GPL.

What they are distributing may not include specific stuff that they're 
bitching at IBM about (certain SMP features, RCU, that kind of thing) 
so may not have so serious a bearing on their court case - unless their 
magic "evidence" is amongst the stuff that they're distributing.

However, presuming that TSG would not willingly commit a criminal 
offense, this means that they are granting a zero-dollar licence to 
their IP (again, this is presuming that they actually own it and have 
the right to whine about it) to anyone who accepts a copy of their 
Linux source, or a derivative of it.

I've downloaded a copy fo their kernel source. You can too:

ftp://ftp.caldera.com/pub/scolinux/server/4.0/updates/SRPMS/kernel-source-2.4.19.SuSE-152.nosrc.rpm

Cheers; Leon