Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%
Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.
IP News
SCO Sues End Users in Battle for LINUX Rights
SCO sued end users for the first time in its battle over LINUX by initiating suits against AutoZone, Inc. and Daimler Chrysler AG. The battle over LINUX, an open source operating system, began when SCO, inheritor of UNIX copyrights from the breakup of AT&T, accused IBM of distributing confidential UNIX code into the open source LINUX community. SCO previously initiated lawsuits against IBM, Novell, and Red Hat for contributing to and distributing the allegedly infringing LINUX. Last year, SCO sent letters to LINUX end users, alerting them to the potential liability of continuing to use LINUX without a license to SCO's intellectual property rights. However, few major companies have requested licenses, with the exceptions of Microsoft and Sun Microsystems, fueling speculation that Microsoft is funding SCO's legal battles.
SCO filed a copyright infringement suit against AutoZone in federal court in Nevada, alleging that AutoZone ran versions of LINUX that contained proprietary UNIX code without permission. In contrast, SCO sued Daimler Chrysler AG in Michigan state court for breach of contract, alleging that by using LINUX to run virtual test crashes, Chrysler used UNIX code outside the scope of a license Chrysler had for UNIX. SCO further alleges that Chrysler breached the agreement by contributing UNIX proprietary source code to LINUX. The Open Source Development Lab (OSDL), a group devoted to promoting open source software, will make its $10 million legal fund available to all SCO targets, including AutoZone and Chrysler. OSDL has advised most end users to wait to see how the cases involving IBM, Novell and RedHat turn out before they begin requesting licenses.
This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only
ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE SINGLE SOURCE OF OBJECTIVE LEGAL ANALYSIS, PRACTICAL INSIGHTS, AND NEWS IN ENTERTAINMENT LAW.
- Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
- Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
- Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts
Already a have an account? Sign In Now Log In Now
For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473
Major Differences In UK, U.S. Copyright Laws
This article highlights how copyright law in the United Kingdom differs from U.S. copyright law, and points out differences that may be crucial to entertainment and media businesses familiar with U.S law that are interested in operating in the United Kingdom or under UK law. The article also briefly addresses contrasts in UK and U.S. trademark law.
Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult Coin
With each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.
The Article 8 Opt In
The Article 8 opt-in election adds an additional layer of complexity to the already labyrinthine rules governing perfection of security interests under the UCC. A lender that is unaware of the nuances created by the opt in (may find its security interest vulnerable to being primed by another party that has taken steps to perfect in a superior manner under the circumstances.
Removing Restrictive Covenants In New York
In Rockwell v. Despart, the New York Supreme Court, Third Department, recently revisited a recurring question: When may a landowner seek judicial removal of a covenant restricting use of her land?