Microsoft claims it owns Linux code
21 November 2006 | Published in Software, Software Patents
According to this post on the Register, Microsoft‘s CEO Steve Ballmer claims the Linux community is using Microsoft source code, without being aware of it. Strange, I though the MS products were closed source. How come Microsoft source code could be included in Linux ? Did they leak some on purpose ?
It looks like a remake of the SCO vs Linux story. It seems that if a company can no more compete on the basis of innovation, it will use legal threats instead.
Microsoft has already settled a deal with Novell regarding Suse Linux, by which Novell paid $40 million to Redmond. This was previously presented as a mutual technology transfer. It now looks much more as a settlement to avoid future legal threats.

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