SCO is having a media and analyst teleconference Monday, February 27, at noon Eastern time. Here's what is news about it. It will be Tim Negris, the executive vice president of sales and marketing, not Darl, representing SCO on the call. It seems to be about mobile handheld devices and Me Inc., so perhaps that is why. That is his responsibility now. And they did announce that he had "responsibility for overall marketing and sales, and will oversee public relations, events, customer support, professional services, as well as direct and channel sales." So this is consistent with that announcement.
If the media and industry analysts want to participate, SCO requests the following: "RSVP requested to ensure sufficient phone lines". Note that this is only for press and industry analysts who are interested in the mobile field. For that reason, I've redacted the phone numbers, because this isn't a teleconference to attend unless you are media or an analyst in that field. I almost didn't put this on Groklaw, for that reason, but we're trying to cover this SCO story 100% and a teleconference without Darl is something new. So this is to complete the history, but not to tell you to listen in. I'm sure we'll be able to learn what is said in other ways, because the media is sure to report it.
The list of what Tim Negris is now responsible for is quite long, I have to say, and I can't help but wonder if there is a shift to try to distance the company's face to the world from the gestank of SCO, as us old timers at Groklaw might put it.
I also note their description of the company now is: "SCO owns the core UNIX operating system." I find it intriguing to watch how the SCO resume changes, depending on what job SCO is applying for, so to speak.
For example, here's what their press release said the day they announced SCOsource in January of 2003:
SCOsourceSCO's patents, copyrights and core technology date back to 1969 when Bell Laboratories created the original UNIX source code. SCOsource will manage the licensing of this software technology to customers and vendors.
"SCO is the developer and owner of SCO UnixWare and SCO OpenServer, both based on UNIX System V technology," said Darl McBride, president and CEO, The SCO Group. "SCO owns much of the core UNIX intellectual property, and has full rights to license this technology and enforce the associated patents and copyrights. SCO is frequently approached by software and hardware vendors and customers who want to gain access to key pieces of UNIX technology. SCOsource will expand our licensing activities, offering partners and customers new ways to take advantage of these technologies."
They didn't have any patents on Unix, of course, and Novell says they kept the copyrights themselves. How they could not have known that they didn't have any patents is beyond my comprehension, since they told the world in the same press release they had hired David Boies to look at their intellectual property assets. Maybe he hadn't gotten started yet. And saying one owns "the core of the intellectual property" is another way of saying you don't own all of it. Such admissions get in the way of persuading judges, or the USPTO, for that matter, a couple of years later, that you are the successor of USL, AT&T etc. in an unbroken chain of assets transfers. I guess that is the kind of inconsistent statement that makes somebody decide finally to put Tim Negris in charge of handling the PR.
And note what they also announced that day:
The first offering from SCOsource will be SCO System V for Linux -- an end-user licensed product for use on Linux systems. SCO System V for Linux provides unbundled licensing of SCO's UNIX System shared libraries for use with UNIX applications, enabling them to run on Linux.
I think they should have quit while they were ahead. Here's how they described themselves in 2003, before all the nonsense began:
The SCO(R) Group (SCO) (Nasdaq: SCOX), a leading provider of Linux and UNIX business software solutions, today announced that it has created a new business division to manage the licensing of its UNIX intellectual property. The new division, called SCOsource, will manage the substantial UNIX intellectual property assets owned by SCO, and will operate an array of licensing programs....About SCO
The SCO Group (Nasdaq: SCOX), formerly called Caldera International, helps companies grow their business through its UNIX, Linux and Windows solutions and services. Based in Lindon, UT, SCO has representation in 82 countries and 16,000+ resellers worldwide. SCO Global Services provides reliable localized support and services to partners and customers. For more information on SCO solutions and services, visit http://www.sco.com .
SCO, SCOsource, OpenServer, UnixWare and the associated SCO logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Caldera International, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. UNIX and UnixWare, used under an exclusive license, are registered trademarks of The Open Group in the United States and other countries. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other brand or product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
Isn't that strange, that they say they have the trademark to UnixWare and in the next sentence they say it's a registered trademark of the Open Group? And how could they apply for a UNIX-related trademark or tell the USPTO that Novell had assigned the trademark to Santa Cruz, when you can see in their own press release that they knew the trademark went to the Open Group? I am simply unable to answer that question.
Here's the press release, minus the phone numbers and RSVP info:
**********************
The SCO Group Media and Analyst Teleconference Monday, February 27, 12:00 PM Eastern
Friday February 24, 1:44 pm ET
SCO Extends Its Technology and Reach With New Products and Programs for Digital Services
MEDIA ADVISORY
What: SCO Teleconference
* SCO to detail new products and programs around its rollout of digital services for smart handheld devices
* Overview of current and future digital services solutions for smart handheld devices
* Details on current participating customers and partners
* Q&A
* RSVP requested to ensure sufficient phone lines
Who:
Tim Negris, executive vice president, sales & marketing, The SCO Group; Andy Nagle, digital services product manager, The SCO Group; Michael Macho, director, mobile BIS division, BIS Computer SolutionsPress materials will be available the morning of the call at http://www.sco.com/company/newsroom/. ...
When:
Monday, February 27, 2006
12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT
Who Should Participate:
Press and industry analysts interested in mobile
business and consumer digital services, mobile
solutions for the Palm Treo and other smart handheld
devices.
RSVP:
The SCO Group...The SCO Group is a leading provider of
UNIX software technology for distributed, embedded and
network-based systems, offering SCO OpenServer for
small to medium business, UnixWare for enterprise
applications, and Me Inc. for digital network services.
SCO's highly innovative and reliable solutions help
millions of customers grow their businesses everyday,
from SCO OpenServer on main street to UnixWare on Wall
Street, and beyond. SCO owns the core UNIX operating
system, originally developed by AT&T/Bell Labs and is
the exclusive licensor to UNIX-based system software providers.Headquartered in Lindon, Utah, SCO has a worldwide
network of thousands of resellers and developers. SCO
Global Services provides reliable localized support and
services to partners and customers. For more
information on SCO products and services, visit
www.sco.com.