SCO Linux spat set to widen

SCO's intellectual property battle with IBM over Linux looks likely to spill over to other vendors after SCO halted its Linux sales last week.

The vendor is suing IBM for $1bn, claiming Big Blue caused some of its Unix code to be embedded in Linux, including the Linux kernel, potentially resulting in all commercial Linux distributors misusing its property.

Now SCO is training its sights on other distributors and users of Linux.

To this end, the company has emailed reseller partners to warn them that Linux "contains unauthorised SCO Unix intellectual property".

It has also written to 1,500 users, warning that they may be legally liable for using its code.

Chris Sontag, general manager of SCOsource at the vendor, said: "The issue applies in terms of inappropriate intellectual property in Linux being distributed by any commercial distribution. So Red Hat, SuSE, or any other commercial distribution would have equal liability."

Dan Kusnetsky, vice-president of systems software research at analyst IDC, said: "By attacking IBM over Unix intellectual property and implying it might have implications with Linux it has put Linux suppliers on notice."

SCO has also threatened to revoke IBM's AIX (Unix) licence on 13 June.

IBM declined to comment on what action it will take ahead of the court case.

The vendor's move has angered the market. "I really don't know what SCO is playing at. It's wasting money. Are you going to argue with IBM?" said Richard Last, managing director of Linux systems reseller Digica.

Peter Dawes-Huish, sales director at reseller LinuxIT, saw the move as self-destructive. "We think it will founder in the quagmire of the US courts. We don't really understand the business rationale behind it," he said.

While analysts are dismissive of SCO's chances of winning in court, they say the action may dent Linux's momentum.

Kusnetsky said action against Linux distributions would mean Microsoft could claim victory and Linux would be faced with a serious problem, because many corporations are watching Linux's evolution with interest.

peter_williams@vnu.co.uk

See also:

SCO Unix licence irrevocable, says IBM

Big Blue Linux boss dismisses claims that AIX licence will be revoked on 13 June  22 May 2003

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