GPLv3 was released the week Eben was in Scotland, and some of his comments were directed specifically towards The Monopoly. Microsoft has now responded, the first time it has ever made a corporate-level statement that I can recall specifically targetting free software. In summary, even Microsoft is admitting the Novell deal is over:
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20070705205728953 Microsoft must surely know that this will drive GPLv3 adoption like nothing else -- but they have no choice because if they cover any GPLv3 code with their joint Novell certificates then their entire patent portfolio they were offering cover for to Novell customers falls open for perpetual reuse by you and me and any other user of GPLv3 work: If, pursuant to or in connection with a single transaction or arrangement, you convey, or propagate by procuring conveyance of, a covered work, and grant a patent license providing freedom to use, propagate, modify or convey a specific copy of the covered work to any of the parties receiving the covered work, then the patent license you grant is automatically extended to all recipients of the covered work and works based on it. Eben predicted that Microsoft would have no room to move back in May, when he said: You have been watching for months as Microsoft gave away these coupons -- which were supposed to be valuable to Microsoft, and for which it paid a lot of money -- as though the coupons themselves were hot, as indeed they are. All of this giving away coupons activity by Microsoft is meaningless and useless. The coupons have no expiration date, and Microsoft can be sure that some coupons will be turned into Novell in return for software after the effective date of GPL 3. Once that has happened, patent defenses will, under the license, have moved out into the broad community and be available to anybody who Microsoft should ever sue for infringement. This is a very interesting moment. -- Dan Shearer [EMAIL PROTECTED] _______________________________________________ Scottish mailing list [email protected] https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/scottish
