SCO considers upping Linux licensing fee

The SCO Group is considering an increase in the cost of the intellectual-property licence it says companies should buy for using the open-source Linux operating system.

Company spokesman Blake Stowell declined comment this week on why the cost of the licence should be higher, but said in response to an email query "that it's something that we are considering right now."

The company claims its proprietary Unix code has been illegally included in Linux. The company has filed a multi-billion-dollar lawsuit against IBM for allegedly violating its Unix licence by inserting the copyrighted code in Linux.

IBM denies the claims, and has counter-sued for patent infringement and other claims.

SCO has also filed Linux-related lawsuits against AutoZone Incorporated and Novell Incorporated, and has said it doesn't plan on filing anymore until it gets court decisions on the pending cases.

Under the SCOsource initiative, SCO offers two types of IP licenses. One gives permanent indemnity to Linux users, and the other is sold on an annual basis for between 20 percent and 40 percent of the full version.

SCO has forecast that revenue from SCOsource licensing would be in the "six-figure range" in the third quarter.