The Big Blue Empire Strikes Back: IBM Countersues SCO

S CO may have launched the first missile, but it seems to be getting a barrage in return. Hot on the heels of Red Hatis suit against SCO, which was filed Monday, C|Net is reporting that IBM has filed a countersuit against SCO in which it says that SCO has no right to sue IBM because it distributed a version of Linux under the General Public License, thus making all code in that distribution available to anyone, including IBM. Further, IBM is asking for an unspecified amount of damages for business losses incurred after SCO announced that IBMis UNIX license was voided. From the C|Net article "Big Blue files counterclaims against SCO:"

In a 45-page document that it filed late Wednesday, IBM argues that because SCO distributed a version of Linux under the open-source General Public License (GPL), it canit claim that Linux software is proprietary. IBM also argues that SCO software violates four IBM patents and that the company interfered with IBMis business by saying it had terminated IBMis right to ship a Unix product, AIX.

IBM is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction to stop SCO from shipping its software. The counterclaims came as part of Big Blueis answer to SCOis amended suit and were filed in the same federal district court in Utah.

A SCO representative declined to comment immediately on the counterclaims.

Read the full article at C|Net.