What to Do if SCO Comes Knocking

As the battle lines over Linux harden between The SCO Group and the open-source community regarding SCO’s challenge to parts of the Linux kernel, IT
managers are being warned to take measures to minimize their potential legal exposure.

The advice, from several industry analysts contacted by internetnews.com, comes amid apparent confirmation that Microsoft has been indirectly
supporting SCO.

That news first came to light last week, when open source guru Eric Raymond posted a leaked SCO e-mail. The message, which SCO has confirmed is
authentic, alleges Microsoft played a matchmaker role in helping SCO secure some $50 million in financing from the San Francisco venture fund Baystar
Capital.

Today, as word of Microsoft’s involvement in the deal appears clearer (BusinessWeek this week confirmed Microsoft referred Baystar to SCO), industry
experts don’t expect that SCO’s legal onslaught will diminish anytime soon. Accordingly, IT managers are wondering just how to cope with what could be
a persistently litigious environment for Linux users.