The Absurdity of Derivative Works

Chuck Talk writes “For those of you who may be living in the real world and ignoring the scheming machinations of the SCO Group of Lindon, Utah, and their various investors, I thought I might try to give you something to ponder from a reasonable perspective that breaks down their arguments to it most fundamental precepts. It is an interesting exercise to say the least, because when you finally understand what they are saying, the absurdity of their argument takes on a whole new meaning. I am certain it is one that they would not want you to conceive.

Let us begin by clearing the air of some very important misstatements that have been bandied about in the mainstream press which are clearly wrong, yet often repeated. They deserve to be corrected, if only in an effort to set the record straight and clarify the air of the prevarications that have come to be stated as fact by those who do not understand the truth.

The first of these statements has been the idea that the SCO Group is the holder of the patents upon the UNIX Operating System. This is not true. The UNIX Operating System Patents were originally granted to AT&T, who then spun off Unix System Laboratories. Unix System Laboratories was sold to Novell in 1993, around the time that the Unix System Laboratories versus The Regents of the University of California was resolved. Novell has held the patents to the UNIX Operating System ever since, and gave the Open Group the rights to the UNIX trademark to hold in trust. In 1995, Novell sold the UNIX Operating System implementation known as UnixWare to the Santa Cruz Operation (also now known as the Old SCO). This was an implementation of UNIX, not the entire UNIX specification.”