Microsoft’s deal with Novell has become a bigger and bigger part of the ongoing debate about patent infringement. During the last few days, reports have been flooding the web, and they all refer back to an article in Seattle PI, which tells us that Microsoft has been giving away SuSe coupons without a expiration date. This means that if someone waits until GPLv3 is completed and then download SuSe using the coupon, Microsoft has killed every possibility to sue any Linux developer infringing on MS patents. GPLv3 simply says that if you give anyone permission to download one version of a Linux-based distribution (under GPLv3) you can’t go after any other distribution or software based on, or built for, Linux.
Microsoft has denied any such thing by explaining that it does not provide the actual copy of SuSe in any way, not the distribution nor discs with the distribution, it just offers access to a service. The question is what the judges has to say.
