____/ nessuno@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx on Saturday 07 July 2007 00:34 : \____
> <Quote>
>
> Microsoft Tries to Spit Out the GPLv3 Hook
> By Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols
>
> Opinion: Try as it might, Microsoft could find it very hard to wiggle
> out of its GPLv3 connection.
>
> Microsoft wants everyone to understand that GPLv3 has nothing to do
> with the company, its Linux partnerships or anything else Redmond-
> based....
>
> Horacio Gutierrez, Microsoft's vice president of intellectual property
> and licensing, spelled it out: Microsoft is "not a party to the GPLv3
> license, and none of its actions are to be misinterpreted as accepting
> status as a contracting party of GPLv3 or assuming any legal
> obligations under such license."
>
> [cites passages from GPLv3]
>
> Notice that phrase "You waive any legal power." That sounds to me that
> if Microsoft were to convey a Linux distribution like Novell's SLES
> (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server) to a customer and some of the included
> code was covered by GPLv3, Microsoft's Linux patent threats go right
> down the toilet....
>
> Now Linux as a whole is almost certainly not going to go under GPLv3.
> But there's no doubt that some components found in almost all Linux
> distributions, such as Samba and the GCC development tools, will be
> covered by GPLv3. And to my nonlawyer mind, that means Microsoft is
> hooked....
>
> That's not just my far-from-expert opinion....
>
> Microsoft is doing its best to wiggle out of this...
>
> If Microsoft is ever foolish enough to actually try whacking a Linux
> company or customer with a patent lawsuit, it doesn't matter what its
> lawyers say now. If that day ever comes, Microsoft knows darn well
> it's going to have a heck of a time wiggling out of its GPLv3
> connection.
>
> I almost hope they do. It's been much too long since I've seen
> Microsoft twist and squirm in a legal mess of its own makings.
> </Quote>
>
> http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2155245,00.asp
It has become very obvious why it has been sending shills such as CompTIA to do
its dirty work in the press and get people to believe that the GPL(v3) has
something evil in it. Of course it has... to Microsoft. To everyone else, it's
freedom from abuse such as the statements made in May 14th.
Microsoft's latest statement (Thursday) reveals a weakness, not a strength.
--
~~ Best of wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | "How do I set my laser printer on stun?"
http://Schestowitz.com | GNU is Not UNIX | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
http://iuron.com - proposing a non-profit search engine
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