The SCO Group is famous for its business strategy, which in large measure consists of filing a barrage of suits against IBM, Novell and other makers and users of Linux-based and other software products based on purported infringements of its intellectual property rights in Unix (see Nov. 6, 2003). On Oct. 31 SCO signed an agreement with Boies, Schiller & Flexner and a second law firm that will cap (at $31 million) the legal bill it will owe over and above a generous contingency share of any recoveries. (Stephen Shankland, “SCO seals deal for legal expense cap”, CNET News, Nov. 5). For more on the controversy, see Jim Kerstetter, “The Most Hated Company In Tech”, Business Week, Feb. 2; “SCO’s Suit: A Match Made in Redmond?”, Mar. 11. While to date it seems SCO has been unable to produce much hard evidence of IBM’s having infringed, SCO says that’s because the larger company has been unwilling to provide a helpful “road map” to its code to help in identifying violations (Nick Farrell, “IBM says SCO has no evidence”, The Inquirer, Sept. 17). SCO’s side of the controversy may be found at its website, while GrokLaw provides a wealth of items and links from a standpoint critical of the SCO claims.

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