SCO does not own the Unix Copyrights

According to the meeting minutes from the 1995 meeting of the Board of Directors explicitly states that Novell will retain all Unix Copyrights. This will pretty much render any case SCO has against companies null and void.

"Moreover, contemporaneous, authoritative documentary evidence shows that at the highest levels of the organization, Novell approved the transaction on the understanding that "Novell will retain all of its . . . copyrights." (September 18, 1995, Minutes of the Meeting of the Board of Directors of Novell, Inc. at 2, attached as Ex. A to Declaration of Kellie Carlton in Support of Novell, Inc.'s Motion to Dismiss.)"

SCO has nothing left to fight with, I can't wait to see how this will boil down.More details are available on Grok Law.

Recording industry sues 761 for music swapping

LOS ANGELES (AP) â?? The recording industry has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against 761 computer users, the latest round of litigation in the record companies' effort to stamp out unauthorized trading of music online.

The latest batch of lawsuits on Thursday also targeted 25 computer users suspected of swapping songs over university networks, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, a trade group for the largest music companies.

The RIAA claims the defendants used peer-to-peer services, including eDonkey, Kazaa and LimeWire to share music.

Among the college and universities attended by students named in the lawsuits were Amherst College, Boston College, Bridgewater State, Iowa State, Northeastern, and the University of Massachusetts.

The individual colleges and universities were not named as defendants.

As in previous cases, the new lawsuits were filed against "John Doe" defendants â?? identified only by their numeric Internet protocol addresses. Music company lawyers must obtain the identity of defendants by issuing subpoenas to Internet access providers.

In all, recording companies have sued 6,952 computer users since September 2003. To date, 1,300 defendants have settled their cases out of court, the RIAA said.

Settlements in previous cases have averaged $3,000 each.

Sex-toy lawsuit against Delta goes before appeals court
this is too funny to not post it

ATLANTA (AP) â?? Renee Koutsouradis was on a Delta Air Lines jet awaiting takeoff from Dallas when her name was called over the loudspeaker and she was pulled from the plane.

Something was buzzing in her luggage.
When taken to the taxiway, she told a Delta security agent that the buzzing was likely coming from a sex toy she and her husband had just bought during their trip to Las Vegas.
Koutsouradis, 38, says she was then ordered to remove the toy, hold it up and remove its batteries in full view of some other passengers on her flight. She claims a baggage handler then licked his lips and made sexually inappropriate comments as other Delta employees laughed.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments Friday in the lawsuit Koutsouradis filed against Delta over the February 2002 incident.

Koutsouradis, of Tarpon Springs, Fla., argues that the Atlanta-based airline's employees publicly humiliated her as she waited for her flight from Dallas to Tampa.

The lawsuit says Koutsouradis has suffered nightmares and panic attacks and has been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder because of the incident. It says she was most disturbed by the "offensive and outrageous" comments made by the Delta baggage handler about her sex life.

"She felt that in order for this to not happen to someone else she was going to have to stand up to the airline," said Craig Berman, Koutsouradis's attorney from St. Petersburg, Fla. "She is facing further embarrassment to correct wrongdoing."

Koutsouradis is seeking unspecified damages from Delta. Because it's in federal court, any jury award would be at least $75,000, Berman said.

Last October, the case was heard in U.S. District Court in Florida. But before it was sent to the jury, the judge dismissed it, saying federal aviation laws protect airline workers from lawsuits while they are performing their jobs.

Koutsouradis' attorneys say the law should not have applied to this case.

"Obviously, making sexual comments is not an airline service," Berman said. "You can handle bags without offering a sexual service."

Attorneys for Delta referred questions to the airline's public relations department. Delta spokesman Anthony Black said the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Congress Reapproves Internet Access Tax Ban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress on Friday reinstated a ban on Internet access taxes after the House of Representatives agreed to extend it for another three years rather than make it permanent.

By voice vote, the House passed a Senate bill that prevents state and local governments from taxing the monthly fees Internet providers like EarthLink Inc. charge their customers.

The Bush administration is expected to sign it into law.

The ban, in place since 1998, expired one year ago amid dire predictions that tax-happy states could choke the growth of the Internet.

The House voted to make the moratorium permanent, phase out existing state taxes and ensure that it applied to high-speed "broadband" service.

But the Senate let the ban lapse after some lawmakers said it would require states to raise taxes in other areas to make up for the millions of dollars they would lose as telephone and other services migrate to the Internet.

The Senate passed a compromise bill in April that would reimpose the ban until November 2007, a measure resisted by House Republicans until the final days of the session.

"Without any action by this Congress ... the Internet economy and its participants are more vulnerable, even if we must act on a weaker bill," Wisconsin Republican Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner said on the House floor.

North Carolina Democratic Rep. Mel Watt said he would help Sensenbrenner make the ban permanent in the next session if the Republican would allow states to tax online sales.

"We will deal with both of those issues and consider them in the next Congress," Sensenbrenner said.

Microsoft Threatens Lawsuits Over Linux
source: Reuters

Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Steve Ballmer on Thursday warned Asian governments that they could face intellectual rights-infringement lawsuits for using rival open-source operating platforms such as Linux.

Ballmer, speaking in Singapore at Microsoft's Asian Government Leaders Forum, said that Linux violated more than 228 patents. He did not provide any detail on the alleged violations, which the Linux community disputes. Singapore's Ministry of Defense last month switched 20,000 personal computers to run on open-source software instead of the Microsoft operating platform.

Ballmer commented that 'Someday, for all countries that are entering the WTO (World Trade Organization), somebody will come and look for money owing to the rights for that intellectual property.'

The Chinese government, in particular, sees its reliance on Microsoft as a potential threat. Conspiracy buffs believe certain patches in the Windows code might give U.S. authorities the power to access Chinese networks and disable them, possibly during a war over Taiwan."

Rapper ODB Dies In Manhattan Recording Studio
source: NY1

The controversial rapper ODB collapsed and died Saturday while working on a comeback album in a recording studio in Manhattan.

A spokesperson for his label, Roc-A-Fella Records, said the rapper, whose real name is Russell Jones, had complained of chest pains. An autopsy will be performed Sunday to determine the cause of death.

Jones was best known as a founding member of the group The Wu-Tang Clan. He also recorded two successful solo albums.

"Dirt was special in his own way," said a fan. "He just brought it to the game."

Over the years, ODB, short for "Ol' Dirty Bastard," had numerous stays in drug rehabilitation centers and a series of run-ins with the law. Jones was released from prison last year after serving a two-year sentence for parole violation and drug charges

Damon Dash, the CEO of his record label, released a statement saying: â??All of us in the Roc-A-Fella family are shocked and saddened by the sudden and tragic death of our brother and friend, Russell Jones, Ol' Dirty Bastard. Russell inspired all of us with his spirit, wit, and tremendous heart. He will be missed dearly."

His mother, Cherry Jones, said: â??To the public, he was known as Ol' Dirty Bastard. To me, he was known as Rusty, the kindest and most generous soul on earth. I appreciate all the support I received. Russell was more than a rapper he was a loving father, brother, uncle and most of all, son."

Fans expressed shock and sadness.

"It's very shocking to me," said one man. "I'm a big fan of the Wu. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's crazy" "Old Dirty was special to everybody who knew him," said another fan. "He's going to be missed man."

Jones was born in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn. He would have turned 36 on Monday.