Sun, which boasted its Unix was safe from the type of IP legal action leveled at IBM Corp, updated its Unix license to System 5 Release 5 in February, according to SCO.
The company has also granted Sun a warrant to buy up to 210,000 shares of the company’s stock $1.83 per share, although a SCO spokesperson said he was unclear whether the two were linked.
Sun is the second company to license SCO’s Unix in recent months, following Microsoft Corp earlier this year. At the time of the Microsoft announcement, SCO hinted a second licensee had signed-up but refused to name the company.
SCO is claiming ownership of Unix and, as such, in the midst of a $3bn legal action against IBM for alleged violations of its Unix IP through its support for developing Linux.
SCO recently cancelled its Unix licensing agreement with IBM and is seeking an injunction preventing IBM distributing Linux.
Sun sought to exploit IBM’s position with an advertising campaign that encouraged IBM’s Unix customers to switch to Solaris. Company chief executive Scott McNealy recently told journalists Sun’s own Unix was safe under an earlier licensing agreement, but did not mention February’s deal.
We paid a big bag of money a decade ago to get the IP rights. We are free and clear, McNealy said during a press event in San Francisco, California this summer.
A Sun company spokesperson said yesterday that the extended deal with SCO covers additional driver support for Solaris on the x86 Intel Corp platform. We want to make sure people know they have a safe course of action with Solaris, that they don’t have the same issues that IBM is facing, the spokesperson said.
Source: Computerwire
