Dell says it won't carry can for Linux use
Dell says it won't carry can for Linux use
The founder and CEO of Dell Computer has stated that it will not be offering its customers indemnification against lawsuits issued by the SCO Group in the battle over the open-source operating system.
In a keynote speech to a group of investors at a technology conference in New York, Michael Dell said "We have seen a change (in the Linux momentum) among really large customers."
He qualified this statement by saying that a number of Dell's large customers had asked for indemnification from Dell should SCO file a lawsuit against them for using a Dell computer with a Linux product installed. "We don't offer it," was his response.
The row over Linux began in March when SCO filed a lawsuit against IBM, claiming the vendor illegally used part of SCO's Unix code in its version of Linux. SCO then sent out warning letters to large corporations around the world in May warning them that they could be liable to them for using Linux.
Since then, IBM has launched a countersuit against SCO, claiming that SCO's software violates four of IBM's patents. Linux distributor Red Hat has also filed against SCO, claiming that accusations of copyright infringement against the open source operating system issued by SCO were "unfair and deceptive."
SCO has also been putting pressure on IBM to offer indemnification to its customers, a move that would make it a whole lot easier for SCO to collect what it feels it is owed should it win the case. IBM has so far rejected the move and seems unlikely to alter that stance.
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