Milano, February 18th, 2003
- for immediate release -
"Free Software Foundation defends the GNU GPL against SCO attacks"
The organization that defends Free Software in Europe, Free Software
Foundation Europe, has no doubt that the litigation between SCO
against IBM and Novell cannot affect the users of the operating
system GNU/Linux.
Professor Eben Moglen of Columbia University, pro-bono general
counsel of FSF North America, has published a paper that will help
free software developers and end-users understand the legal issues
and business risks involved in using the Linux kernel. The paper is
avaible on the OSDL web site.
http://www.osdl.org/docs/osdl_eben_moglen_third_statement.pdf
"After selling licenses for rights in the original Unix code, the SCO
Group is now suing Novell to please hand over those rights to SCO."
Stefano Maffulli, Italian chancellor of FSF Europe explains. "The
lawsuit shows SCO Group's uncertainty about their claims on the code
in question. One could ask on what grounds they think they were
suing others. In any case, their licensing campaign is obviously
over," he continues.
The license of the Linux kernel, the GNU General Public Licens,
grants the recipients of the software the right to use, copy, modify
and redistribute the software under the same terms. Many users got
the Linux software from the SCO Group, even after they sued IBM in
august 2003.
"As both the SCO Group and Novell, through its recent acquisition
SuSE, have been distributing copies of the GNU/Linux system --
including the Linux kernel -- under the GNU GPL, it means that
regardless of the outcome of that process, no party will ever be able
to ask for licensing fees." says Werner Koch, Head of Office of FSF
Europe.
"The whole issue has been very much overplayed and overrated by
analysts who assumed that if there is smoke, there is fire. But in
the modern business world, you will often discover nothing but a
smoke machine," concludes Georg Greve, president of the FSF
Europe. "In the end, this case is a typical example of a company
trying to undo time and undoing itself in the process. Understanding,
accepting and working with the freedoms of Free Software is becoming
a key factor of success for modern companies in information
technology."
About the Free Software Foundation Europe
The Free Software Foundation Europe (FSF Europe) is a charitable
non-governmental organization dedicated to all aspects of Free
Software in Europe. Access to software determines who may participate
in a digital society. Therefore the freedoms to use, copy, modify and
redistribute software - as described in the Free Software definition
- allow equal participation in the information age. Creating
awareness for these issues, securing Free Software politically and
legally, and giving people freedom by supporting development of Free
Software are central issues of the FSF Europe, which was founded in
2001 as the European sister organization of the Free Software
Foundation in the United States.
http://fsfeurope.org
Contact
Europe:
Georg C. F. Greve <greve(a)fsfeurope.org>
phone: +49-40-23809080
fax: +49-40-23809081
Italy:
Stefano Maffulli <maffulli(a)fsfeurope.org>
phone: +39-02-34537127
fax: +39-02-34531282
Germany:
Werner Koch <koch(a)fsfeurope.org>
phone: +49-2104-173855
Further contact information available at
http://fsfeurope.org/contact/