14 DAY TRIAL // I could say that the SCO Group holds the record as the initiator of the most lawsuits against Linux vendors and users. If I recall it well, it was involved in many cases against big players in the software market (and not only) such as IBM, Red Hat, Novell or AutoZone and DaimlerChrysler. In one of its campaigns, SCO complained that Linux contains significant source code from the SCO's Unix System V, and thus, Linux would be an unauthorized derivate of Unix.
A recent uncovered filing in the SCO vs. IBM case revealed the fact that SCO has tried in 2004 to get a gag order against Groklaw and some other people associated with the open source movement. This was supposed to include Eben Moglen,Columbia Law profesor, Eric Raymond, OSS advocate and Linus Tovarlds. According to one of SCO's attorneys, Linus Tovarlds' comments about SCO related to the case, are given a particular weight in the press and industry, mainly due to his positions in the technology world. Back in February, SCO accused IBM, through a letter sent by one of its attorneys, that IBM is a sponsor of Groklaw and it is also a secret founder of the ibiblio.org research website.
SCO filled the US $ 1 bln. lawsuit against IBM back in March, 2003. Then the alleged damages increased to US$ 3 billion and then to US$ 5 billion. IBM denies SCO's accusations and it also claims that it had no connection with Groklaw. Big Blue also accused SCO of intimidating Pamela Jones, Groklaw founder. It is well-known that Groklaw has fiercely monitored the SOC's lawsuits and wrote things that were not exactly praising SCO.
But one of the SCO's legal assaults is now hopefully about to end, after it has already taken enough. Novell has filled last week for a summary judgment against SCO on the grounds that when buying UnixWare, SCO (previously called Caldera Systems) did not have the copyright to UNIX too.