Re: SCO Extortion

Gavin M. Roy wrote:
> My problem is the threat from SCO is not from the bleachers so to speak,
> but direct in writing :(
> http://www.gavinroy.com/~gavinr/sco_threat.gif

That's a threat that SCO will take illegal action against you.

It's the same as Luigi from The Family calling by to remind you that if
you don't pay the insurance premium, bad things could happen to your
office or your person.

Ask them to detail:
- The infringing code (and exactly how it infringes)
- The ancestry of the code (where they got theirs from)
- The licence that they expect you to sign (and note that
their licence does not stop them from suing you further
for using Linux, nor does it stop anyone else from suing
you for using code that they've licenced to you)
- The terms and conditions that accompany the licence
- Their support policy
- Their upgrade policy

Make sure all the documentation is signed. That makes it easier to whack
them with it if they take you to court.

Check out these names in relation to the SCO case: Linus Torvalds and
Eben Moglen. No doubt Eric Scott Raymond has made some comment on it.
And as everyone else has stated, catch up with the latest at Groklaw.

In the meantime, treat the SCO complaint as seriously as you'd treat a
drunk cop who's just pulled you over and is trying to charge you with
posession of drugs. He has no case, you just have to survive the
immediate encounter. Don't sign anything, don't hand over any money,
make no representation that you intend to agree with their demands, just
keep them talking until you have enough evidence to hurt them with.

Especially don't sign or pay for any "licence", since SCO is going to
use the money and the fact as leverage (especially in court!) to get
other, bigger companies to cave in to their demands.