11 June 2010, 11:53

SCO vs. Linux – case closed!

In the case between the SCO Group and Novell, Judge Ted Stewart has ruled that the jury in the previous trial got it right and the Unix copyrights were never sold to SCO.

In a previous trial in 2007, Judge Dale Kimball had ruled that Novell owned the copyrights. SCO appealed this ruling and asked for a jury trial which was granted. The jury verdict was that copyrights were not transferred when Novell sold it's Unix business to SCO in 1995.

According to Groklaw the judge's remarks are quite unequivocal and leave SCO no room to manoeuvre.

There is, of course, always the possibility of another appeal but if there were to be one, under the terms of their contract SCO's lawyers, Boies Schiller, would have to do it for free. The law firm has said it is already heavily into the red on this case.