Start-up looks to gain from SCO's Linux pursuit
Start-up looks to gain from SCO's Linux pursuit
It had to happen – the only surprise is that no-one thought of it sooner. A start-up has been launched to help Linux users minimise the risk of being sued by The SCO Group, or anyone else for that matter.
Open Source Risk Management (OSRM) offers expertise in statistical risk modelling and boasts in-depth knowledge of the complex copyright, trade secret and patent history of Unix and other Linux precursors.
While companies such as HP, Red Hat and Novell have already offered indemnification to their Linux customers, OSRM chairman Daniel Egger believes the assurances do not go far enough. A particular problem is the fact that vendor protection does not extend to situations where the customer has modified the software, a practice that is thought to be common among major Linux users.
"SCO has brought home to users that there was a structural weakness in the open source business model," said Egger. "There's no one company to stand behind the code base and protect users in case they get sued."
In the coming weeks, OSRM is looking to do just that, through the introduction of a service to pay the legal costs of any of its customers that are sued.
SCO is currently pursuing the Linux community for compensation by means of a license for the use of Linux in enterprises, as it claims that source code from its proprietary Unix O/S has been illegally used in the Linux O/S.
It is also involved in a court battle with IBM, who SCO claims is responsible for moving the Unix source code into versions of Linux without SCO's permission. SCO is seeking US$5 billion in compensation from Big Blue. SCO is also involved in separate court cases with Linux vendors Novell and Red Hat over the open source operating system.
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