Impacts of the SCO Case Outside of the US?

Pecisk asks: "Maybe lot of you have already tired of discussing this, but I would like to know opinions (professional one would be very good) how much this case can have *legal* impact to Linux users/businesses in other regions like EU, Russia, Eastern Asia. I know that in many cases there's no effect of US court decisions to other countries, but how (for example) the EU patent law will take this, and in generally how much and do we have to be really worried about this case? This question is very important to me, and I guess, for other guys from non-US countries too. I want to know this also because when I have to speak about the using of Linux and free software in IT solutions and if someone argues about this case and it's impact to us, I would like to know what to answer (I'm from Latvia, Eastern Europe, we are going to vote for EU membership in September)."

SCO discussions

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe lot of you have already tired of discussing this...

Although I don't have an opinion on this specific question, I for one think that the SCO discussions are the best thing /. has going right now. Very interesting and informative, and it is frankly pretty exciting. I hope that the /. editors keep up posting the latest on this.

It is starting to sound like a soap opera. For those who haven't been paying attention here are the players:

1. SCO. The bad guys. Think Alan Rickman in Die Hard. Smart, but really, really bad. Also they think they own UNIX.

2. IBM. The strong silent type. Well, they are silent, at least. They are just standing around with a big stick, not saying much. Hopefully we'll get to see some stick, before this is over.

3. Microsoft. The secret funders of SCO's evil.

4. Novell the previous *real* owner of UNIX.

5. AT+T the current *real* owner of UNIX. You would think that with something this valuable, these companies would actually know who owns it.

6. Linus. The copyright holder of the Linux name. Seems not to be either worried or interested in this debate.

6. RMS. He is the clueless wildcard. So far the only statement from his camp has been a bumbling, "It's GNU/Linux!" Nobody seems to have listened. He is definately the Ozzy of these Osbournes.

7. CmdrTaco. The guy with the gas and the matches.

8. The GPL. That horrid group of words that makes this all really interesting. Its effects are somewhere between smallpox and cholera.

8. The /. minions. The peanut gallery of this story. Expect lots of jokes about patenting air. Also expect lots of accusations that SCO is evil. Unfortunately, few of them admit that SCO is smart as well, which it is.

New acronym needed

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm from Latvia, Eastern Europe...

Sorry, IANALL.

Re:If you are worried...

[femto]

...or the HURD [gnu.org]!