A bit off topic; but I guess that people on this list have the interest, resources and the capacity, to implement what I have in mind, if it can be done at all.
Please see the following extract from the Indian Copyright Act. <begin quote> 60. Remedy in the case of groundless threat of legal proceedings- Where any person claiming to be the owner of copyright in any work, by circulars, advertisements or otherwise, threatens any other person with any legal proceedings or liability in respect of an alleged infringement of the copyright, any person aggrieved thereby may, notwithstanding anything contained 1[in section 34 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963 (47 of 1963)] institute a declaratory suit that the alleged infringement to which the threats related was not in fact an infringement of any legal rights of the person making such threats and may in any such suit- (a) Obtain an injunction against the continuance of such threats; and (b) Recover such damages, if any, as he has sustained by reason of such threats. Provided that this section shall not apply if the person making such threats, with due diligence, commences and prosecutes an action for infringement of the copyright claimed by him. <end quote> Does not the US law have similar provisions?? Could not any of the copyright holders to the Linux Kernel sources (I understand that there are several, since Linus does not seek assignment) initiate appropriate proceedings against SCO's claims against the several Fortune 500 companies?? Surely, there is no claim that _every_ file in the kernel sources is infringing; so far as I can understand the pleadings. But, the claim for royalties ( or whatever against the fortune 500 cos) does not restrict the claim to use of the infringing files. Hence, the last paragraph (the proviso) has no application. There have been enough public statements from SCO's officers to invite such litigation. I am also aware that the owner of copyright in majority of the files making up the kernel sources is at present in the US .... thus making the job easier ... -- +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+ Mahesh T. Pai, LL.M., 'NANDINI', S. R. M. Road, Ernakulam, Cochin-682018, Kerala, India. http://in.geocities.com/paivakil +~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+ -- license-discuss archive is at http://crynwr.com/cgi-bin/ezmlm-cgi?3