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Samba blasts Novell-Microsoft deal

Open source group ask Novell to undo patent agreement.

By Rene Millman, 13 Nov 2006 at 15:19

Open source organisation Samba hit out at the Novell-Microsoft deal and said that the agreement would undermine the General Purpose Licence (GPL) and make it more difficult to defend open source against software patents.

"The GPL makes it clear that all distributors of GPL'd software must stand together in the fight against software patents," the Samba team wrote in an open letter. "Only by standing together do we stand a chance of defending against the peril represented by software patents."

Samba added in the letter that with this agreement is "attempting to destroy that unified defence, exchanging the long term interests of the entire Free Software community for a short term advantage for Novell over their competitors."

"For Novell to make this deal shows a profound disregard for the relationship that they have with the Free Software community," said the Samba Team. "We are, in essence, their suppliers, and Novell should know that they have no right to make self serving deals on behalf of others which run contrary to the goals and ideals of the Free Software community."

It called upon Novell to work with the Software Freedom Law Center to "undo the patent agreement and acknowledge its obligations as a beneficiary of the Free Software community."

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