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> Lawsuits are like nuclear war in this instance. Are they? Because big companies seem to sue each other all the time, even while actively collaborating in ot
by gwd 3y ago
> Lawsuits are like nuclear war in this instance.
Are they? Because big companies seem to sue each other all the time, even while actively collaborating in other areas. Is Linus suing NVIDIA for blatantly working around technical measures to prevent copyright infringement really worse than Apple suing Samsung for selling phones that look like theirs, or than Oracle suing Google because they made Java-compatible APIs?
> If someone starts the ball rolling, it's a long and expensive legal battle with tons of parties involved. Consider the Oracle v Google lawsuit which started in 2010 and was resolved in 2021.
Sounds more like normal "war". Yeah, you'd have to figure out who would finance Linus' side, but it doesn't seem like it should be that difficult.
> With the number of companies involved in the kernel you are looking at a much longer and more expensive trial all around.
Why would other companies be involved? Linus doesn't have to sue everyone, he can just sue NVIDIA. Other companies might submit briefs, but that would be voluntary.
- cogman10 3y ago> Why would other companies be involved? Linus doesn't have to sue everyone, he can just sue NVIDIA. Other companies might submit briefs, but that would be voluntary. In a civil lawsuit, both parties are entitled to "discovery" which means knowing what the other party knows about the controversy in question. It would be reasonable discovery for nVidia to want interviews with engineers in HP that have contributed to kernel development. Whether these companies want to be involved in the lawsuit or not, they'll get dragged in because they've directly participated in kernel development and/or governance. Now, discovery isn't unlimited, so it's possible for a judge to say "actually, this steps too far, you only need to talk to linus" but that's in no means a guarantee. https://www.justia.com/trials-litigation/lawsuits-and-the-court-process/the-discovery-process/ https://www.justia.com/trials-litigation/lawsuits-and-the-co...
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]