“In comments confirming the open-source community’s suspicions, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer today declared his belief that the Linux operating system infringes on Microsoft’s intellectual property,” Eric Lai reports for Computerworld.
Lai reports, “In a question-and-answer session after his keynote speech at the Professional Association for SQL Server (PASS) conference in Seattle, Ballmer said Microsoft was motivated to sign a deal with SUSE Linux distributor Novell Inc. earlier this month because Linux ‘uses our intellectual property’ and Microsoft wanted to ‘get the appropriate economic return for our shareholders from our innovation.'”
“‘Novell pays us some money for the right to tell customers that anybody who uses SUSE Linux is appropriately covered,’ Ballmer said. This ‘is important to us, because [otherwise] we believe every Linux customer basically has an undisclosed balance-sheet liability,'” Lai reports.
“‘My reaction is that so far, what he [Ballmer] said is just more FUD [fear, uncertainty and doubt],’ said Pamela Jones, editor of the Groklaw.net blog, which tracks legal issues in the open-source community. ‘Let him sue if he thinks he has a valid claim, and we’ll see how well his customers like it,'” Lai reports.
“Jones also challenged Ballmer to ‘put his money where his mouth is’ and detail exactly what part of the Linux kernel source code allegedly infringes upon Microsoft patents, so that ‘folks will strip out the code and work around it or prove his patent invalid,'” Lai reports. “Ballmer did not provide details during his comments today. But he was adamant that Linux users, apart from those using SUSE, are taking advantage of Microsoft innovation, and that someone — either Linux vendors or users — would eventually have to pay up. ‘Only customers that use SUSE have paid properly for intellectual property from Microsoft,’ he said. ‘We are willing to do a deal with Red Hat and other Linux distributors.’ The deal with SUSE Linux ‘is not exclusive,’ Ballmer added.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Microsoft and “innovation” go together like Steve Ballmer and antiperspirant.
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BWAAAA-HAHAHAHAHA!! AAAH-HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!
wotta load o’ crap!!
Hey Ballmer, LICENSE *THIS* PAL!!!!!!!!!
How about all of the stealing they did from Apple?
MDN – fantastic take.
Pot calling the kettle black..with Microsoft delving where it belongs, a bottom feeder, nosing in the murk.
Well, when is Microsoft going to pay Apple ?
Ballmer owes apes for their innovative behaviour.
If Linux owes Microsoft a lot of royalty money, how much friggin’ money does Microsoft owe Apple?
Microsoft has been caught stealing from many different companies. They probably stole what they think Linux borrowed from them.
Sounds like a bitch slappin’ session. Bring it on Monkeyboy.
In comments confirming the open-source community’s suspicions, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer today declared his belief that the Linux operating system infringes on Microsoft’s intellectual property”
For god’s sake he is trying to dray other tech companies into the abyss that is M$.
Linux want’s no more to do with M$ than Apple does. Way to go micromonkeys. Piss everyone off at once.
Look, we all need to TAKE HIM AND HIS HEGEMONY OF MEDIOCRITY DOWN.
Who’s with me?
come on, I mean he is the king of innovation.
or was that?? what the hell did he call himself?
pieterdebecker,
> Ballmer owes apes for their innovative behaviour.
LOL, good one. Or to slightly rephrase, Ballmer is infringing on apes innovative behavior.
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That pic never fails
Good take, MDN. I was thinking the same thing but you put it into words very well.
Some great writer should do a story about Microsoft and Apple. Show the world that is was Apple that started the OS system we use today, When Microsoft was pushing MS DOS, Apple had an advanced OS with icons and many of the things we use today, just more advanced, thanks to Apple. If Microsoft did not copy Apple, they would still be pushing MS DOS.
The sad thing about that pictuer of Ballmer is that it is his Glamour Shots™ photo. You should see what he looks like when they don’t gussy him up!
Wait a second!
Is microsoft getting into the linux market?
Microsoft linux: highly customisable, you can create your own screen of death.
touch’e pieterdebecker
Any money that Microsoft may have owed Apple was settled in 1997 when the two companies cross-licensed each other’s patent portfolio.
This agreement was entered shortly after Steve Jobs became interim CEO (remember that?), and was accompanied by a large exchange of money.
So Apple has already received any and all money for its intellectual property used by Microsoft.
(Of course, this patent agreement was overshadowed at the time by the separate 5 year agreement for Microsoft to continue developing and shipping the Office suite on Mac.)
Joe,
Some great writer should do a story about Microsoft and Apple.
It’s all here: http://www.pbs.org/nerds/part3.html
It’s all here, too: “Steve confronts Bill Gates about copying the Mac” via Folklore.org: http://tinyurl.com/tlc73
It’s just too easy to make fun of Ballmer. Where’s the challenge?
WTF.
Hell, I’m not a Linux user, but I have a lot of respect for those that are.
I’m really curious as to what those alleged intellectual property infringements are.
IF MS has the audacity and balls to pursue this, I think Linux users and the Linux developers should counter sue. Can you do a class action counter-suit???
Screw Ballmer. What’s next, America and Britain are infringing on Microsoft’s intellectual property of English?
Is the OS X kernel based on Linux?
UNIX
The $40,000,000 Novell paid Micro$oft is nothing more than extortion money. Microsoft is nothing but a cancer on the software industry and it is long past time it were excised!