Unix For Sale: Massively Damaged, Sold As Is & Absent Delusions Of Grandeur Over Linux Copyright Infringement

from the $1-obo dept

Fri, Sep 17th 2010 2:04pm — Mike Masnick

Having lost pretty much everything -- including most of its business and its longstanding lawsuit concerning Linux -- SCO is now apparently trying to sell off what remains of its "Unix assets," -- which, as you may have heard, does not appear to include the Unix copyrights. It's unclear what anyone would really do with whatever magical assets the sale comes with, but I would suggest suing IBM for infringement is not one of the better ideas.

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Filed Under: sale, unix
Companies: sco

34 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 2:13pm

Unix is NOT for sale. Especially since SCO doesn't own it. SCO's Unix ASSETS are for sale, and that's all.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 2:32pm

recursion
recursive link is recursive.
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- Michael Ho (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 2:43pm
  
  Re: recursion
  fixed! thanks...
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shutslar (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 2:45pm

Not everything is for sale
They are not selling the rights to litigate. Only the rights to sell unix licenses. They have stated they will remain the owners of the existing litigation...they believe there has to be a pot of gold hidden in there somewhere.
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- jamie, 17 Sep 2010 @ 10:08pm
  
  Which means...
  They're selling, what?
  
  I mean, sure, the usual discount applies - assume it is a bucket of crap that the owner can't monetize (never mind that legal rights... oh, whatever).
  
  The interesting part will be when they actually describe what they're selling.
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- designerfx (profile), 19 Sep 2010 @ 7:54am
  
  Re: Not everything is for sale
  the significant part here, is they dont' own the rights to sell unix licenses.
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interval (profile), 17 Sep 2010 @ 2:52pm

C'Mon SCO...
You had an amazing, annoying, and in the end completely useless run. Time to turn out the lights, clean up after the party, and go home to Mama, crying in your cereal. There there. Mama kiss it and make it better, and you shall have a story.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:04pm

$5
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- Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:05pm
  
  Re:
  (that's my bid. and yes, I'm probably being ripped off).
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:40pm

Leader?
"a leading provider of UNIX® software technology, today announced..."

Leading? Hah!
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BruceLD, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:41pm

Subject
This is a whole lot of fuckary.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 3:53pm

bid up to
$5.1
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- Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:20pm
  
  Re: bid up to
  Ok, if you want it so badly you can have it.
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_Arthur, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:06pm

They're selling Unixware and Openserver
What SCO is selling are the legacy OSes Unixware and Openserver.
Those OSes cannot run on modern computers, they need to be run with a virtualization tool (sold extra) that makes the OS think it's running on a 1990-era CPU.

SCO has not gained any new customers since 2003, and they have lost most of their legacy users since then. They have raised their prices several times since, and never turned up a profit. SCOXQ.pk current market cap is $1.75M

So, someone that buys UnixWare+OpenServer + the 7 remaining tech people, gets a marginal product that's a proven money-loser, that loses 20% of its few remaining customers every year.

First Santa Cruz and later Caldera (The SCO Group) have attempted to produce a 64-bits version of UnixWare for the last 15 years, and have failed miserably.
If anyone wants its own 64-bit OS that badly, they'd be better off starting with BSD that cost nothing and is public domain code.

The first $2M of the sale proceeds will go to an investors group headed by Ralph Yarro, which has superpriority over any creditor.
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- Daniel, 19 Sep 2010 @ 8:27am
  
  Re: They're selling Unixware and Openserver
  BSD is not in the public domain. BSD is licensed under the BSD license.
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  - _Arthur, 19 Sep 2010 @ 12:36pm
    
    BSD is Public Domain!
    In the The 1994 USL-Regents of UCal Settlement Agreement (which has been made public due to the effirts of a Groklaw reader), AT&T and the Regents agree that the code at issue is Public Domain:
    
    ""e. Without waiving any of its proprietary rights therein, USL agrees that UNIX Derived Files listed in Exhibit B, or any material therein, may be freely distributed by the University and may be freely reproduced and redistributed by others without payment of any royalties or fees and without execution of any license agreement with USL and/or the University, provided such files or portions thereof include, in text form, a USL Copyright Notice and the same list of restrictions on use and redistribution of the software presently contained in the Net2 version of the file."
    
    see http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20041126130302760
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    - vonbrand (profile), 19 Sep 2010 @ 6:59pm
      
      Re: BSD is Public Domain!
      There are parts of what today is the BSDs that was declared public domain back then. But much, much water has gone under the bridge since then...
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  - Jack, 20 Sep 2010 @ 9:24am
    
    Re: Re: They're selling Unixware and Openserver
    However, some of the UNIX code IS in the Public Domain, as AT & T forgot to copyright it properly, and subsequently lost the copyright on it. Something that came out in the BSD lawsuit, which thanks to Groklaw we can now see.
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ChimpBush McHitlerBurton, 17 Sep 2010 @ 4:56pm

She Offered Her Honor, and He Honored Her Offer...
"Any party wishing to submit an offer for the Software Business Assets must submit a non-contingent offer, marked Asset Purchase Agreement to show any revisions, and evidence of financial wherewithal to close on the transaction on or before October 5, 2010 at 5:00 p.m. (prevailing Eastern Time) to:

The SCO Group, Inc., 333 South 520 West, Suite. 170, Lindon, Utah 84042, Attn: Ryan Tibbitts"

++++++++++++++

C'mon now, we can send them a few offers, can't we? I think it only fitting that as their ship finally goes down, they receive a manila envelope or two with some "realistic" offers for their product, their ethics, and their legacy.
Don't you?

Remember: NON-CONTINGENT offers only please. Nice and official looking. Tell your friends.

CBMHB
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hmm, 17 Sep 2010 @ 5:12pm

NON-CONTINGENT? ok...thats the letter written and the envelope sealed + posted...oh wait sorry, i thought you said INCONTINENT offers......
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 7:11pm

If anyone needs any ideas for a gift, this seems like a cool novelty gift for $20.

Seriously am hoping it gets bought out and disseminated publicly by some or another charitable individual.
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Anonymous Coward, 17 Sep 2010 @ 8:53pm

I want to say something about it but really what else is there to say?

Instead I give you all the universal today :) (smile face).
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Anonymous Coward, 18 Sep 2010 @ 5:44am

Just think. They could have been smart like Jobs and revamped Unix into Mac OS, I'm sure you all remember the Next Project which was totally Unix based and totally experimental. So you remake it to be OS X or whatever they call it now to iPhone and iPad and all the other i's. Remade into Linux which to me for server operations is the most awesome stable OS I could have ever asked for. Then from Linux to Android and beyond, who knows. Rebuild, re-invent. They had the code and wasted it on lawsuits just like Lotus did. Only difference is that IBM absorbed Lotus. No one wants SCO as their name is mud and not even worth anything.
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- abc gum, 18 Sep 2010 @ 7:52am
  
  Re:
  "Remade into Linux "
  
  Not so. This has been debunked many times. Just for the record, I'll restate that Linux is not based upon Unix.
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  - Anonymous Coward, 19 Sep 2010 @ 5:08am
    
    Re: Re:
    Linux is not based upon Unix.
    
    _______________
    
    That depends on how you define based.
    
    If you use based to mean using the same psychology then the answer is that Linux is based on Unix.
    
    If you use based to mean using the dame packages then the answer is Linux is not based on Unix.
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Rakron the Unseen (profile), 18 Sep 2010 @ 7:03am

For more information
I'm sure everyone here knows, but for the new to the SCO saga, I include the obligatory link to http://www.groklaw.net/
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abc gum, 18 Sep 2010 @ 7:55am

I would like to know when Daryl and friends will be brought up on charges. I thought stock kiting was illegal. Some time ago I read that the sec had started an investigation, I wonder what ever happened to that.
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bidder, 18 Sep 2010 @ 3:38pm

bid
$5.11
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Anonymous Coward, 19 Sep 2010 @ 3:15am

My bid is $0.11. Everything beyond $2.50 is fraud and these bids will be cancelled.
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hmm, 19 Sep 2010 @ 10:41am

they probably won't ever face charges because 1. they have no money left and 2. the mentally handicapped in society usually get protected from themselves....
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aikiwolfie, 19 Sep 2010 @ 2:05pm

Novell?
Maybe as soon as someone buys Novell they can buy out SCO as well.
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Anonymous Coward, 20 Sep 2010 @ 9:23am

I don't think it says anything about public domain.

"In the The 1994 USL-Regents of UCal Settlement Agreement (which has been made public due to the effirts of a Groklaw reader), AT&T and the Regents agree that the code at issue is Public Domain:

""e. Without waiving any of its proprietary rights therein, USL agrees that UNIX Derived Files listed in Exhibit B, or any material therein, may be freely distributed by the University and may be freely reproduced and redistributed by others without payment of any royalties or fees and without execution of any license agreement with USL and/or the University, provided such files or portions thereof include, in text form, a USL Copyright Notice and the same list of restrictions on use and redistribution of the software presently contained in the Net2 version of the file."

see http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20041126130302760"
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rkhalloran (profile), 20 Sep 2010 @ 10:39am

Sell off the software, keep the [ bogus ] lawsuits?
Admittedly the market for x86 UNIX has collapsed in the face of Linux' rise, but the bankruptcy trustee's attitude about the lawsuits seems to be there's-so-much-horse-there-must-be-a-pony-in-here-SOMEWHERE.

The trick will be to ensure some overeager IP troll doesn't pick this up and start the whole damnable thing up all over again.

SCOX(Q) DELENDA EST!!
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