The Linux community is splitting — right down the middle, at this point — over Microsoft Corp.’s controversial claimsthat the open-source operating system infringes on patents it holds.
Last Tuesday, Paris-based Mandriva became the third Linux vendor within five days to say it isn’t interested in signing a licensing deal with Microsoft to avoid possible infringement claims.

Sonty added that he thinks Microsoft "is lining up partners to go against" Red Hat and Ubuntu, which he sees as the company's biggest threats in the Linux camp. "The battle is just beginning," he wrote. "We don't know what is underneath the iceberg yet."
If you ask me, the title should be "They would love the community to be divided over Microsoft deals"

Microsoft's claims that open-source software infringes its patents do not apply in the UK, according to a top lawyer.

For some time, we have not heard anything about the patent sellout which Novell inked with Microsoft 11 months ago. Microsoft has since used the deal as the basis for spreading FUD about Linux, with claims that the free operating system could be in violation of as many as 235 patents which Microsoft claims to own.

On the back of defending the agreement this week, Novell did as promised and published details of its landmark November 2006 Linux partnership agreements with Microsoft.

"There are exactly nine days left for Microsoft to get other Linux companies to sign up for patent cross-licensing deals. The GPLv3 is set to be published on June 29 and once that is done, any new deal will be subject to the terms which it includes."

Linux vendor Mandriva SA thought it had signed a deal with Nigeria's government to equip elementary schools in that country with new PCs running the open-source operating system as part of a pilot project. But then Microsoft Corp. threw a wrench into the works, according to Mandriva CEO Francois Bancilhon.

Microsoft claims that Linux infringes 235 patents, but if it wants to fight it out in a UK court, it had better think again.

Microsoft Relevant Products/Services is targeting Sun Microsystems for patent violations in its open-source software, claiming OpenOffice.org breaches 45 of its patents. Sun wasted no time in responding to the claims coming out of Redmond.