Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Video
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Servers

    SCO Group On the Licensing Warpath?

    Written by

    Peter Galli
    Published February 26, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      eWEEK content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

      The SCO Group is believed to be preparing to launch legal action within the next few days against at least one large IT company in the U.S. for unlicensed usage of SCO Unix technologies.

      SCO CEO Darl McBride on Wednesday declined to confirm or deny reports eWEEK has received that SCO is preparing to launch such legal action. But he did confirm that the Lindon, Utah-based firm is expecting to make at least $10 million in revenue in the current financial quarter from its SCOsource licensing initiative.

      SCO, formerly Caldera International Inc., recently created the SCOsource division to create new licensing programs and products for its intellectual property.

      That move followed news last month that the firm was planning to make some users pay for some Unix software they were running, unlicensed, on Linux.

      The first deliverable from SCOsource was the licensing of its Unix shared libraries under a new product license called SCO System V for Linux. That product lets Linux customers run Unix applications, originally written for SCO OpenServer and SCO UnixWare, under Linux in an Intel environment.

      “There has never been a mechanism in place to license the libraries to individuals and companies until now. In fact, the SCO OpenServer and UnixWare licenses expressly said that the libraries could not be used outside of those two operating systems,” McBride said at the time.

      At that time he also confirmed to eWEEK that the company had hired high-profile attorney David Boies and his legal firm to investigate whether Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and versions of BSD infringed on the Unix intellectual property it owned. As SCO was concerned about a number of other issues relating to its IP, it had approached Boies to deal with the matter.

      “We wanted to find a guy who was used to dealing with complicated legal issues,” SCO CEO Darl McBride said.

      In an interview with eWEEK on Wednesday, McBride said the company had received a lot of positive response to its SCOsource initiative, including calls from companies who were concerned they could be infringing on its intellectual property.

      Page Two

      : SCO Group On the Licensing Warpath?”>

      “We have very positive programs for working through these issues as they arise. Some 95 percent of the companies we are in discussions with are co-operating well, but there are a handful of cases where the discussions are not as amicable,” he said, declining to be more specific about which companies were being uncooperative.

      While SCO expected to get at least $10 million in revenue from SCOsource-related activities in the current quarter, “we cannot predict at this point what happens to that revenue stream in coming quarters. Its very early on in the process and things are mostly moving forward well for us in that regard,” he said.

      But the unlicensed use of its Unix shared libraries was just the “tip of the iceberg as there are so much IP were dealing with here, ranging from copyright, trade secrets, patents, source code and licensing issues.

      “Because this range of IP-related issues is so broad-based and there is such a wide-range of players involved, were just making sure we move forward very sure-footedly. We dont want to start running before we can walk. Were trying to take things in the right order,” McBride said.

      However, he declined to confirm or deny reports eWeek has received that SCO is preparing to launch legal action over the next few days against at least one of the largest IT companies in the U.S. around its unlicensed usage of SCO Unix technologies.

      SCO on Wednesday also reported a net loss of $724,000 or 6 cents a share for the first quarter of fiscal 2003 ended January 31, 2003. That loss came on the back of revenue of $13.5 million, and compared to a net loss of $11 million or 77 cents a share on revenue of $17.9 million for the same quarter the prior year, McBride told reporters during a teleconference.

      “But, for the first time in our history we generated positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization of $361,000 this past quarter compared to negative $9.2 million in the comparable period a year ago,” he said.

      McBride said SCO expected revenue for the second quarter, ending April 30, 2003, to be in the range of $23 million to $25 million. That forecast was based on anticipated revenue from its current operating platforms of $13 million to $15 million, and from $10 million in revenue from its SCOsource licensing initiative.

      Read more stories about Linux:

      Search for more stories by Peter Galli.
      Find white papers on Linux.

      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli
      Peter Galli has been a technology reporter for 12 years at leading publications in South Africa, the UK and the US. He has comprehensively covered Microsoft and its Windows and .Net platforms, as well as the many legal challenges it has faced. He has also focused on Sun Microsystems and its Solaris operating environment, Java and Unix offerings. He covers developments in the open source community, particularly around the Linux kernel and the effects it will have on the enterprise. He has written extensively about new products for the Linux and Unix platforms, the development of open standards and critically looked at the potential Linux has to offer an alternative operating system and platform to Windows, .Net and Unix-based solutions like Solaris.

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      Get the Free Newsletter!

      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Artificial Intelligence

      9 Best AI 3D Generators You Need...

      Sam Rinko - June 25, 2024 0
      AI 3D Generators are powerful tools for many different industries. Discover the best AI 3D Generators, and learn which is best for your specific use case.
      Read more
      Cloud

      RingCentral Expands Its Collaboration Platform

      Zeus Kerravala - November 22, 2023 0
      RingCentral adds AI-enabled contact center and hybrid event products to its suite of collaboration services.
      Read more
      Artificial Intelligence

      8 Best AI Data Analytics Software &...

      Aminu Abdullahi - January 18, 2024 0
      Learn the top AI data analytics software to use. Compare AI data analytics solutions & features to make the best choice for your business.
      Read more
      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Video

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2024 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×