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SCO's Memo in Support of its 54(b) Motion - as text - and Proposed Jury Instructions
Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:23 PM EDT

Here, thanks to Steve Martin, we have SCO's Memorandum in Support of its Motion for Entry of Final Judgment Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b) [PDF] as text. Note that this document is a request to the judge to let them appeal certain matters, but it's not an appeal and the judge is not required to say yes. It's unusual, I'm told, to be successful with a 54(b) motion. I mention it because I see a headline, "SCO appeals Unix ruling, seeks a second act" on MarketWatch, and that isn't accurate. The article mentions that the stock has risen:
On Wednesday, SCO filed an appeal challenging an Aug. 10 ruling by a federal judge in Utah that Novell Inc., McBride's former employer, owns the rights to Unix operating system software. SCO sued Novell in 2004 over Unix, which has been SCO's lifeblood.

SCO's shares, now in the penny stock category, rose 44%, to 72 cents in Thursday trading.

If folks are buying based on the idea that an appeal was filed Wednesday, I hope they read the filing, so they have more accurate information. I trust SCO would have no desire to mislead the public.

The parties in SCO v. Novell have also filed their proposed jury instructions today, and Steve and I are busy transcribing them for you. You will recall that Judge Dale Kimball asked the parties in SCO v. Novell to give him a joint proposed set of jury instructions, and where they couldn't agree to provide them separately along with authority for their positions. Here it is, Joint Statement Regarding Jury Instructions [PDF] along with Exhibits 1 and 2 [PDF], the first being the instructions they were able to agree on and the latter the ones where they don't see eye-to-eye, at least not yet. They inform the judge that they continue to try to reach agreement. But they have until September 5th to tell him why they think the other side's instructions are improper. Final decision is his.

*********************************************

Brent O. Hatch (5715)
Mark F. James (5295)
HATCH, JAMES & DODGE, PC
[address]
[phone]
[fax]

Stephen N. Zack (admitted pro hac vice)
BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP
[address]
[phone]
[fax]
David Boies (admitted pro hac vice)
Robert Silver (admitted pro hac vice)
Edward Normand (admitted pro hac vice)
BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP
[address]
[phone]
[fax]

Stuart Singer (admitted pro hac vice)
BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP
[address]
[phone]
[fax]

Devan V. Padmanabhan (admitted pro hac vice)
DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP
[address]
[phone]
[fax]

Attorneys for Plaintiff, The SCO Group, Inc.

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF UTAH

THE SCO GROUP, INC.,
a Delaware corporation,

Plaintiff/Counterclaim-Defendant,

vs.

NOVELL, INC.,
a Delaware corporation,

Defendant/Counterclaim-Plaintiff.
SCO'S MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF
ITS MOTION FOR ENTRY OF FINAL
JUDGMENT PURSUANT TO FEDERAL
RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 54(b)

Civil No.: 2:04CV00139


Judge Dale A. Kimball
Magistrate Brooke C. Wells

(1)

Plaintiff/Counterclaim-Defendant, The SCO Group, Inc. ("SCO"), respectfully submits this Memorandum in Support of SCO's Motion for Entry of Final Judgment Pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 54(b).

ARGUMENT

SCO respectfully requests that the Court enter final judgment under Rule 54(b) with respect to those claims which are fully and completely resolved by the Court's granting of summary judgment motions in its Order dated August 10, 2007 (the "Order"). The questions under Rule 54(b) are whether the Court has made "a decision upon a cognizable claim for relief" in the sense that it is "an ultimate disposition of an individual claim entered in the course of a multiple claims action," and whether there is any "just cause for delay" of an appeal from the decision. Curtiss-Wright Corp. v. Gen. Elec. Co., 446 U.S. 1, 7 (1980); accord McKibben v. Chubb, 840 F.2d 1525, 1528-29 (10th Cir. 1988). With respect to certain of SCO's claims and Novell's counterclaims, the Order satisfies each requirement.

The Order finally and fully resolves the following: (1) SCO's First Claim for Relief, for Slander of Title; (2) that portion of SCO's Second Claim for Relief alleging that Novell breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing in its exercise of asserted rights under Section 4.16(b) of the Asset Purchase Agreement ("APA"); (3) SCO's Third Claim for Relief, seeking specific performance; and (4) that portion of Novell's Fourth Claim for Relief relating to Novell's request for a declaration of rights and duties under Section 4.16(b) of the APA. In granting summary judgment on those claims, the Court has reached an ultimate disposition that Novell owns the UNIX and UnixWare copyrights that it owned as of the date of the APA, and that Novell has the

1 (2)

right to direct SCO to waive its breach-of-contract claims against International Business Machines Corporation ("IBM").

SCO submits that there is no just cause for delay in SCO's appeal from the Court's disposition of the foregoing claims and issues. This inquiry turns on "the hardship or injustice that might be inflicted on a litigant because of the delay." United Bank of Pueblo v. Hartford Acc. & Indem. Co., 529 F.2d 490, 492 (10th Cir. 1976). The party invoking Rule 54(b) need not show that "harsh or unusual circumstances" merit the entry of final judgment; instead, "the proper standard against which a district court's exercise of discretion in granting a Rule 54(b) certification is to be judged is the interest of sound judicial administration." Curtiss-Wright, 446 U.S. at 9. In applying this "balancing test," the Court should "consider such factors as whether the claims under review were separable from the others remaining to be adjudicated and whether the nature of the claims already determined was such that no appellate court would have to decide the same issues more than once even if there were subsequent appeals." Id. at 8; accord McKibben, 840 F.2d at 1528.

The claims on which SCO seeks entry of final judgment are separable from the others remaining to be adjudicated. Neither the approaching trial nor the stayed claims in this matter concern the question of the ownership of the UNIX or UnixWare copyrights or the scope of Novell's rights under Section 4.16(b) of the APA. See, e.g., McKibben, 840 F.2d at 1529 (entry of Rule 54(b) judgment is appropriate where appeal presents factually and legally distinct issues); Bd. of Country Comm'rs of Kane County v. Dep't of the Interior of the U.S., No. 2:06-CV-209-TC, 2007 WL 2156613, at *1 (D. Utah July 26, 2007) (Ex. A.) (same). Accordingly, in any subsequent appeals, the Tenth Circuit would not have to address this Court's resolution of

2 (3)

those issues. Where no risk of redundant appeals is presented, entry of final judgment under Rule 54(b) is appropriate. See, e.g., Shelter v. Mut. Ins. Co. v. Clark, No. CIV-06-753-F, 2007 WL 2177804, at *2 (W.D. Okla. July 27, 2007) (Ex. B.) (entry of Rule 54(b) judgment is appropriate where there is no risk of redundant, piecemeal appeals); DirecTV, Inc. v. Turner, Civ. A. No. 03-2287-CM, 2007 WL 1747479, at *1 (D. Kan. June 18, 2007) (Ex. C) (same).

In addition, the appeal will resolve issues central to the operation of SCO's business and its financial status — including Novell's authority to direct SCO to make decisions affecting its contractual rights in the operation of its business, and its assertion of those rights against IBM. It is especially appropriate for the way to be clear for an expeditious appeal of these issues since they impact the SCO v. IBM case and other pending litigation pending involving SCO's intellectual property right.1 SCO respectfully submits that an appeal from the Court's disposition of the foregoing claims involves substantial issues.

One such substantial issue is the determination that in selling the UNIX business to Santa Cruz, Novell did not transfer UNIX and UnixWare copyrights, notwithstanding the testimony of the Novell and Santa Cruz executives that such a transfer was intended. This issue includes important subsidiary questions, including:

  • Whether the language the parties expressly removed from the Excluded Assets Schedule of the APA and that therefore no longer exists can be the basis for precluding the introduction of extrinsic evidence of the parties' understanding;

  • Whether the only reasonable reading of Paragraph A of Amendment No. 2 to the APA is that the amendment clarifies that Santa Cruz obtained an "implied

    3 (4)

    license" to the UNIX and UnixWare under the "Asset Purchase Agreement," where record evidence shows Santa Cruz held no such view or understanding, and where there is no explanation in the record for why an "implied" license would have the needed the parties' clarification or confirmation.

  • Whether it was error to find that Novell only granted SCO an "implied" license to the UNIX and UnixWare copyrights notwithstanding the transfer of all rights of ownership to the UNIX and UnixWare source code, where the term "license" is not mentioned in the APA.

  • Whether the Court properly considered the extrinsic evidence from numerous witnesses from Novell and SCO who agree with SCO's interpretation of the APA, the TLA, and Amendment No. 2.

A second important and substantial issue for appeal is the determination that Novell had the right to waive action taken by SCO to enforce intellectual property rights pursuant to a software development contract that was not expressly referenced as an SVRX License and which was transferred to Santa Cruz in a different part of the included asset schedule. This includes important subsidiary questions, including:

  • Whether the Order accounts for the substantial record evidence in SCO's favor that nearly a dozen witnesses from both companies agree that Novell's waiver rights were solely to protect the stream of royalties Novell retained under existing binary SVRX licenses.

5 (6)

  • Whether Novell's right to exercise certain rights in its "sole discretion" under Section 4.16(b) of the APA is a contractual right that invests Novell with "discretionary power" under California law.

Issues such as the foregoing present distinct grounds for the parties to present and have resolved by the appellate court without undue complication.

The Order thus bears directly and in important respects on the scope of SCO's pending claims in the other litigations. In addition to the foregoing precedent, the courts have repeatedly entered Rule 54(b) judgment where doing so would avoid the possibility of redundant, multiple trials in the event of a remand on appeal. See, e.g., Grand River Enters. Six Nations, Ltd. v. Pryor, 425 F.3d 158, 165 (2d Cir. 2005) (citing cases); United Bank of Pueblo, 529 F.2d at 492-93; McLean v. Badger Equip. Co., 868 F. Supp. 258, 263 (E.D. Wis. 1994); Polycast Tech. Corp. v. Uniroyal, Inc., 792 F. Supp. 244, 277-78 (S.D.N.Y. 1992). With respect to SCO v. IBM, for example, if SCO were to prevail on appeal, the scope of the litigation and issues therein would be significantly broader. It would be inefficient and wasteful of substantial private and judicial resources for the Court and parties to pursue that litigation in a significantly limited scope if, following an appeal, the proper scope of the litigation were revised and broadened. Where the parties and Court otherwise need to turn back to the pending motions and prospective trial in that case in the next several weeks, an immediate appeal is the most sensible and efficient course. See, e.g., United Bank of Pueblo, 529 F.2d at 492-93 (entering Rule 54(b) judgment in the interests of avoiding potentially redundant expenditure of resources in third-party litigation if there were a reversal on appeal). The same logic applies SCO's other pending litigations.

5 (6)

CONCLUSION

SCO submits that for these reasons, the entry of final judgment pursuant to Rule 54(b) is appropriate so SCO can take an immediate appeal.

DATED this 29th day of August, 2007.

HATCH, JAMES & DODGE, P.C.
Brent O. Hatch
Mark F. James

BOIES, SCHILLER & FLEXNER LLP
David Boies
Robert Silver
Stuart H. Singer
Stephen N. Zack
Edward Normand

DORSEY & WHITNEY LLP
Devan V. Padmanabhan

Counsel for The SCO Group, Inc.

By: __/s/ Edward Normand____________

6 (7)

CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

Plaintiff/Counterclaim-Defendant, The SCO Group, Inc., hereby certifies that a true and correct copy of SCO'S MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF ITS MOTION FOR ENTRY OF FINAL JUDGMENT PURSUANT TO FEDERAL RULE OF CIVIL PROCEDURE 54(b) was served on this 29th day of August, 2007, via CM/ECF to the following:

Thomas R. Karrenberg
John P. Mullen
Heather M. Sneddon
ANDERSON & KARRENBERG
[address]

Michael A. Jacobs
Matthew I. Kreeger
Kenneth W. Brakebill
David E. Melaugh
MORRISON & FOERSTER
[address]

/s/ Edward Normand

(8)

1SCO in involved in pending, stayed litigation against Red Hat and AutoZone in which SCO's asserted ownership of all UNIX and UnixWare copyrights is a central issue.

  


SCO's Memo in Support of its 54(b) Motion - as text - and Proposed Jury Instructions | 126 comments | Create New Account
Comments belong to whoever posts them. Please notify us of inappropriate comments.
Jurors can't use Groklaw
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:39 PM EDT
Page 2 of the PDF, "Anything you may have seen or heard outside of this
courtroom is not evidence and must
be entirely disregarded. You are to consider only the evidence in this
case."

Sounds like you can read Groklaw but not use anything you find there.

[ Reply to This | # ]

SCO's Memo in Support of its 54(b) Motion - as text - and Proposed Jury Instructions
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:40 PM EDT
These guys are nuts if they think this has much chance of succeeding.. Either
for partial final judgement or on appeal in general....

---
Clocks
"Ita erat quando hic adveni."

[ Reply to This | # ]

Corrections thread
Authored by: Aladdin Sane on Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:41 PM EDT
If you detect a mistake, please post a correction.

Please put the nature of the correction your comment title.

Thanks.

---
Free minds, Free software

[ Reply to This | # ]

[OT] Off Topic thread
Authored by: Aladdin Sane on Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:43 PM EDT
Off Topic comments here, please.

---
Free minds, Free software

[ Reply to This | # ]

[NP] News Picks thread
Authored by: Aladdin Sane on Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:45 PM EDT
Comments on News Picks can be placed here.

---
Free minds, Free software

[ Reply to This | # ]

Intended
Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, August 30 2007 @ 11:54 PM EDT
> such a transfer was intended

I went into a car dealer and told him I intended to purchase a Porsche. However,
I couldn't afford it so I only got a Yugo. I should sue the dealer now and have
the courts force him to give me that Porsche.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Can't Judge Legalese but its understandable
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 12:07 AM EDT
I have found many things SCOG has done objectionable but I think I can
understand this action and even commend them for diligence. They sure want the
court to hurry when it suits them.

Of course, my guess is that no appeal will find in their favour. I think they
have demonstrated a will to abuse the court system while they inflate their
company position to a gullible andor corrupt media but still... This seems a
reasonable strategy for them. Perhaps an appeal is inevitable and getting it
over with is better for everyone.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Ah! It makes sense!
Authored by: elderlycynic on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 04:34 AM EDT
I have just had a flash of insight - though heaven alone knows
why it took me so long. The reason that Novell are continuing
to argue BOTH that SCO had no authority to enter into the Sun
and Microsoft agreements AND that it is owed the money from
them, which (as someone pointed out) is inconsistent under the
rule of double recovery, is to box SCO into a corner.

Having to argue a weak case is one thing; having to argue two
weak, inconsistent, cases is another. The lawyers lose a lot
of latitude in both cases by needing to avoid destroying their
own arguments on the other.

Can anyone guess what Kimball is likely to tell the jury in
this case? From bitter experience, I know that most people
(even quite intelligent ones) have serious trouble with
conditional logic.

[ Reply to This | # ]

Novell wants money from Linux users too?
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 06:06 AM EDT
In addition to the money from the Sun and Microsoft Agreements.

[ Reply to This | # ]

SCO logic in the jury instructions "concerns a buy-out" = "is a buy-out"
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 06:19 AM EDT
Basically they have rewritten the APA terms "concerns a buy out" into
"is a buy-out". I don't think this will fly as to my (non-legal)
reading a later transaction which is not in itself a buy-out, can still concern
the earlier buy-out.

Although I'm trying to ignore my bias, I really feel that there are flaws in all
the SCO instructions either with respect to the earlier findings of law, or to
logic and reason.

Does the judge just have to pick and choose between the two wordings, or can he
choose a bit from SCO and a bit from Novell? Does this extend to sections, or
to paragraphs within sections?

[ Reply to This | # ]

McBride Speaks
Authored by: rsteinmetz70112 on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 10:27 AM EDT
McBride is quoted in the Marketwatch article PJ linked to. He apparently been
taken off his leash or decided keeping quiet is doing much good.

McBride said. "We don't have $25 million ... but we have more than $25
million in value,"

McBride said that much of the Unix developed after 1995, ... should still be
considered SCO's. ... "That stuff's all squarely in the cross-hairs,"

Unix licensing revenue ... McBride said that, "We don't believe we owe them
anything."



---
Rsteinmetz - IANAL therefore my opinions are illegal.

"I could be wrong now, but I don't think so."
Randy Newman - The Title Theme from Monk

[ Reply to This | # ]

Bad, but common, instructions
Authored by: Quila on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 10:33 AM EDT
"Nor are you to be concerned with the wisdom of any rule of law stated by
the Court. Regardless of any opinion you may have as to what the law is or ought
to be, it would be a violation of your sworn duty, as judges of the facts, to
base a verdict upon anything but the law as I instruct you and the evidence in
the case."

Judges do this often. It basically tells the jury to ignore hundreds of years of
jurisprudence. Jury nullification -- the idea that a jury can acquit even if the
law and facts indicate guilt -- really started in the 1600s with the trial of
William Penn, who was acquitted for illegal preaching. The jury was sent to jail
for this "false" verdict, but the high court released them. This was
the precedent that juries can't be punished for their verdicts.

In this country it starts with John Zenger, who was tried for publishing a
criticism of the governor and acquitted despite the law making it illegal.

Jury nullification is our last defense against bad laws, but unfortunately the
judicial system has been trying to erase it.

[ Reply to This | # ]

SCO's Memo in Support of its 54(b) Motion - as text - and Proposed Jury Instructions
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 11:18 AM EDT
The Jury instructions explain a whole lot.

Now I understand why Novell entered a Motion in Limine to Preclude SCO from Challenging Questions Already Decided as a Matter of Law and to Preclude SCO from Contesting Licenses Conveying SVRX Rights are "SVRX Licenses" filed.

Apparently SCO can't read an order in black and white - First, The court further concludes that because a portion of SCO's 2003 Sun and Microsoft Agreements indisputably licenses SVRX products listed under Item VI of Schedule 1.1(a) to the APA, even if only incidental to a license for UnixWare, SCO is obligated under the APA to account for and pass through to Novell the appropriate portion relating to the license of SVRX products , and SCO is obligated under the APA to account for and pass through to Novell the appropriate portion relating to the license of SVRX products. Because SCO failed to do so, it breached its fiduciary duty to Novell under the APA and is liable for conversion.

How on earth would SCO possibly attempt to state to the jury that these are issues of fact left open for them to determine?

I know, I know.

[ Reply to This | # ]

"I have already found..."
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 01:38 PM EDT
Novell sprinkles this phrase throughout their versions of the jury instructions.
SCO? They'd have the jury override the judge.

[ Reply to This | # ]

  • Too wordy - Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 02:59 PM EDT
License not mentioned in the APA?
Authored by: GLJason on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 02:20 PM EDT
... where the term "license" is not mentioned in the APA.

Let's look at the APA, which includes the term 'license' no less than 50 times.

1.4. Non-Assignment of Certain Items. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, to the extent that the assignment or license hereunder of any of the Assets shall require the consent of any other party (or in the event that any of the Assets shall be nonassignable), neither this Agreement nor any action taken pursuant to its provisions shall constitute an assignment or license or an agreement to assign or license such Assets if the requisite consents are not obtained and such assignment or license or attempted assignment or license would constitute a material breach or result in the loss or diminution thereof: provided, however, that Seller shall, at its own expense, use reasonable commercial efforts to obtain all third party consents necessary to assign or license the Assets to Buyer, and Seller hereby consents to Buyer using such efforts as it deems necessary or appropriate to effect the same. In the event that notwithstanding the efforts of Selle and Buyer all assignments or licenses needed to assign or license the Assets to Buyer cannot be provided to Buyer, Seller shall negotiate an alternative assignment or license as to such Assets so as to afford Buyer, to the extent practicable, the same or similar benefits and rights as if such assignment or license had occurred.

Not only that, but Santa Cruz still owed Novell royalty payments ON OPENSERVER for years after the assets were transferred. Can anyone think of a reason that Santa Cruz would pay Novell for distributing it's own OPENSERVER product if it didn't include technology it was still licensing from Novell?

[ Reply to This | # ]

SCO's S8 is a hoot
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 03:10 PM EDT
So Novell must prove damages "with reasonable certainty"...

And this from the same bunch that wants 5 billion from IBM because someone told
someone they heard from someone else that IBM may have told a bunch of someone
elses not to do business with SCO.

[ Reply to This | # ]

PJ, another possible reason SCOx is on the uptick
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, August 31 2007 @ 05:11 PM EDT
"If folks are buying based on the idea that an appeal was filed Wednesday,
I hope they read the filing, so they have more accurate information. I trust SCO
would have no desire to mislead the public." Anyone in a short position
could well be covering it, causing the price to rise.

[ Reply to This | # ]

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