03.11.08

Is OpenOffice.org Leaving Novell and Linspire Further Behind the GNU/Linux Leaders?

Posted in GNU/Linux, GPL, Linspire, Microsoft, Novell, Office Suites, Open XML, Red Hat, Ubuntu at 4:05 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Can Red Hat and Ubuntu laugh at Novell’s expense?

As programmers with only mere knowledge of the law (primary based on intuition), we still fail to understand — with full confidence at least — the impact of OpenOffice.org upgrading its licence [1, 2].

Looking elsewhere, we begin to find legal interpretation which explains the impact on Novell.

These news does of course upset Novell, as it is one more move against their brilliant scheme of alliance with Microsoft (« ’till thy death, my beloved master »). In effect, it nullifies the legal threats from the integration of Microsoft’s own intellectual property into OpenOffice.org. If you wonder what I’m talking about, just consider the work that is being done jointly by Novell and Microsoft on the now famous plugins and converters to OOXML. Some of the codes, ideas, and methods, let alone presumed patents will find their way back inside Openoffice.org, in two places. First there will be a full import and export filter developed by Novell and Microsoft in the Novell edition of OpenOffice.org (ain’t that sweet?) that will permeate Microsoft’s intellectual property.

Before the release of the (L)GPL v3, only Novell could grant you, lucky you, the complete protection on the code (hence creating a lack of balance among OpenOffice.org, courtesy of Microsoft). Fortunately for us though, the licence upgrade is now protecting OpenOffice.org from the claims of Microsoft and anyone legally affected by them. Patent protection is thus the second major advantage to this upgrade, as Simon rightly pointed out.

In light of this recent development, it is worth recalling that Novell pretty much forked OpenOffice.org [1, 2], creating its Microsoft-oriented version of the software, It comes with semi-cooked OOXML ‘translators’, patent ‘protection’, Microsoft fonts, macros (only for Windows) and so forth. For further information see:

Steve Ballmer rides SUSE It is not just Novell which is affected by Sun’s decision. Remember what Microsoft did to Linspire just shortly after they had signed a patent deal. Linspire continues to seem like a lost cause and this article agrees. The article is from yesterday and here is another one about Freespire, which is equally problematic.

Freespire: An Open OS, but Proprietary is No Problemo

Many times, when I talk to people who are just dipping their toes into using Linux, they complain that they end up wishing they could use a mix of proprietary drivers, codecs, applications and other tools with their newfound open source applications. Especially for people used to the Windows environment, I usually recommend Freespire in these cases. In this post, I’ll show how Freespire—an open source Linux distribution with tons of plug-ins and extras—creates a great bridge between the worlds of proprietary and open source tools.

Will Linspire, which is not permitted to use Novell’s edition of OpenOffice.org, be permitted to use OpenOffice.org 2.4 (and successors)? IANAL, but it seems like they are now stuck. They are stuck in the past. █

Share this post: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Permalink Mail Send this to a friend

If you liked this post, consider subscribing to the RSS feed or join us now at the IRC channels.

Pages that cross-reference this one

What Else is New

The European Parliament JURI Mission to Munich Looks Like Complicity With EPO Abuses

A look at newly-released documents from the Committee on Legal Affairs shows a rather disturbing cooperation if not collusion with a highly abusive tyrant
Benoît Battistelli Lies About Patent Quality; the Numbers Speak for Themselves However

The person who is rapidly ruining the quality that the EPO stood for over the years (nearly half a century) lies to his staff and stakeholders today; He has even, in his own words, "chaired our annual Quality Review" to review his own supposed 'performance'
Jo Johnson's Departure is Another Major Blow for Team UPC (Unified Patent Court)

Proponents of the UPC, notably patent law firms that are based in London, do not want us to know that Jo Johnson is leaving, thereby assuring that any remaining prospects of UPC ratification are in formal disarray
Links 19/1/2018: Cockpit 159, Endless OS 3.3.8, Tails 3.4

Links for the day
Links 9/1/2018: CES Products and DRM in Linux

Links for the day
Watchtroll is Where Information and Facts Come to Die in the Name of PTAB Bashing (Trolls' Lobbying)

The latest anti-PTAB posts from Watchtroll (they make up almost most of the 'articles' so far this year) and what can be deduced from Wi-Fi One v Broadcom -- a new decision from a high court
Judge Paul Michel is Not So Retired; Helps the Patent Trolls' Lobby Critique His Former Employer

As the new year begins (and people return from holiday) outlines of Federal Circuit cases are published (3 of them yesterday) and Paul Michel rears his head again (he still meddles by public criticism, wielding influence to impact the court's direction in absentia)
Devices: When Allegations of Software Patent Infringement/s Can Result in Theft (Confiscation) of Physical Devices or Embargo

The embargo dilemma and how bad things have gotten in Europe and North America; products get stolen and booths raided before proper justice is concluded (complete with appeals, expert witnesses and so on)
Battistelli's Year 1 at EPO: General Advisory Committee Not Being Provided Crucial Information

The General Advisory Committee (GAC) of the EPO was not adequately provided with information, based on which to form decisions or remark on Battistelli’s proposals
Battistelli's Year 1 at EPO: Using 'Staff Dignity' as a Pretext to Attack the Dignity of EPO Staff and Staff Representatives

The term “staff dignity” (long used at the EPO to promote the secret police, the IU) as used 7 years ago by the regime of Battistelli; this was later exploited for union-busting activity
Possible Explanation for German Media Barely Covering Very Major EPO Scandals

Old EPO documents reveal the extent to which Germany benefits from the Germany-centric EPO
For European Patents to Maintain Value the EPO Must Fix Patent Quality and Attract 'Expensive' (High-Calibre) Staff

After the Battistelli-induced exodus of experienced examiners we continually observe concerns that patents granted by the EPO (EPs) have lost their value and the perception of patent justice is deeply damaged
Links 8/1/2018: Final RC of Linux Kernel 4.15, Linux at CES

Links for the day
President Battistelli Silently Curtailed Part Time Home Working Introduced by His British Predecessor, Alison Brimelow

An initiative introduced a year before Battistelli became the EPO‘s President was silently suppressed shortly after he had taken over, just like the Audit Committee
How the Creation of a Role for 'Chief Information Officer' at the EPO Came About

The EPO‘s French CIO, who is being criticised by staff for mishandling EPO budget, took a newly-created role (suggested shortly after Battistelli had become President)
The Patent Microcosm is Setting Up a Huge Number of Anti-§ 101 Events in an Effort to Thwart Alice and Promote Software Patents

Patent law firms and their front groups are coordinating the dissemination of misinformation by stacked panels in a large number of events or so-called 'webinars'
Outsourcing and Offshoring Patents for Extortion and Tax Evasion

Some of the latest examples of patent mischief and antitrust issues; the darker side of patents explored
PTAB Squashes Patent Trolls So the Patent Trolls' Lobby is Attacking PTAB on a Daily Basis

Ferocious attacks on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) are intensifying because the Board is reaching all-time highs, which causes panic in circles that profit from low-quality (and typically invalid) patents
Allergan Collapses After Its Patent “Scam” Goes Awry and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe Receives Negative Publicity for Abetting

The Mohawk 'brand' is being tarnished by a bunch of lawyers (or mainly one lawyer) who would rather prop up conspiracy theories of the patent trolls' lobby for a quick buck
Links 7/1/2018: New Latte Dock and 4MLinux Releases

Links for the day
Patent 'Industry' Settles on Use of Buzzwords for Bypassing § 101/Alice Rules in the United States

Facing a tough reality wherein software patents get repeatedly rejected by courts, the patent lawyers reach out to low-importance precedence in low courts (rocket dockets) and pretty meaningless buzzwords that make computer code sound both innovative and physical
In US District Courts Patent Litigation Fell by a Whopping 17% Last Year

The push for broader patent scope is met with growing resistance not only from the public but also from courts; patently false statements are being made in an effort to frame this as devastation to science and technology rather than devastation to patent law firms
China's Self-Destructive Patent Policy Will Replace Assembly Lines of Products With Assembly Lines of Low-Quality Patents and Lawsuits

China's vision, as put forth by Xi Jinping (the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and paramount leader of China), includes an unprecedented number of patents of notoriously low quality, missing the whole point of patents and neglecting to properly account for economic theories behind patents
Anonymous “Kluwer Patent Blogger” is Probably Just Bristows LLP Hiding Its Identity While It Publicly Lies or Distorts Facts About UPC

In an effort to ram the Unified Patent Court (UPC) down Europe's throat (for Bristows profits) staff of Bristows appears to be writing misleading pieces anonymously and maybe choosing time of publication so as to limit response/correction
The Mystery and Secrecy of the Decision to Disband the EPO's Auditory Function After Battistelli Became President

The EPO‘s descent to tyranny was preceded by removal of the very pillars whose function could help prevent tyranny or at least react to it
Shortly After His EPO Appointment Benoît Battistelli Already Ignored the Judicial System of the EPO

The EPO‘s lack of an effective judiciary goes a long way back and demonstrates that Battistelli had suffered utter disregard for justice long before the social conflict or the feud with the union began
Patent Maximalists' Utopia: INPI-Like Patent Systems Where Every Application is Blessed and WIPO-Inspired Assumption That the More, the Merrier

The distortion of the patent system at the hands of the patent 'industry', which leads to granting of millions of patents that oughtn't be granted due to duplication, prior art, and/or lack of merit
When All That's Left is a Bunch of Patents: Stories of IBM, Finjan, Ericsson, and Citrix

Companies on the decline, where the number of products already verges (or is) zero, decide to just sue the entire industry, thereby reinforcing the cautionary tale about patents as 'insurance policy' taking its toll on real (operating) companies
The Federal Circuit (High Patent Court) is Still No Friend of Patent Maximalists and Microsoft Cases Are Belatedly Recalled by Them

The highest patent court (bar the US Supreme Court) has given no hope to those who pursue patents on virtually anything; Microsoft's disputes with Mastermine and Biscotti are recalled by them, albeit these cases too offer little hope (unless they emphasise the dissenting, i.e. in the minority, judges)
Staff of the EPO Has Had No Concrete Participatory Role at the EPO for at Least 7 Years

Battistelli acts as though the GAC (General Advisory Committee) has absolutely no importance and impact. "This is the first time that we can recall this happening," write the members nominated by the staff committee after no less than 234 meetings