attachmate

Attachmate finalizes Novell takeover

Attachmate's $2.2 billion takeover of open-source software company Novell has gone through, after gaining regulatory clearance.

According to a statement from Attachmate yesterday, Novell will operate as two separate businesses--Novell and Suse--alongside the Attachmate and NetIQ brands under the umbrella of the Attachmate Group.

The takeover was first announced in November 2010. As part of the deal, Novell is selling off 882 open-source patents--not including Novell's Unix patents--to a consortium called CPTN Holdings, which includes Microsoft, Apple, EMC, and Oracle.

Read more of "Attachmate finalises Novell takeover" at ZDNet UK.

DOJ forces changes in Novell patent deal

A partnership that includes Microsoft and Apple agreed to modify the terms of its acquisition of some Novell patents in order to satisfy antitrust regulators worried about the impact on open-source software.

The Department of Justice announced today that CPTN Holdings altered the original agreement, requiring that it license rather than buy some of the 882 patents and patent applications. And all of the patents that are purchased will be bought under the GNU General Public License and the Open Invention Network License, according to the agency, which worked closely with Germany's Federal Cartel Office.

Microsoft established CPTN, which … Read more

Novell investors approve takeover by Attachmate

Novell will soon cease to exist as its own company.

Shareholders of the former network-software giant voted in favor of Attachment's intent to acquire the company to the tune of $2.2 billion.

At a special investor meeting held yesterday, almost 99 percent of the shares voting approved the takeover, representing a majority of about 66 percent of all of Novell's outstanding stock. Once the merger is completed, Novell shareholders will be able to receive $6.10 in cash for each share of Novell common stock owned.

But the deal is not quite done. Novell said the merger … Read more

Apple, EMC, Oracle tied to Novell patent buy

One big detail that has been unclear since Attachmate's acquisition of Novell last month has been the destiny of the 882 patents that are set to be handed over to CPTN Holdings LLC--a consortium of technology companies that was organized by Microsoft.

Would Microsoft be getting all those patents, or would it have to share them with the other companies? More importantly--who are the other "technology companies" that make up the group?

While the first question remains unanswered, the second part of the equation is coming into view this morning, with blog FOSS Patents unearthing a merger filing … Read more

Unix copyrights to stay with Novell in merger

Novell today announced that it would continue to be the owner of its copyrights to Unix.

The news comes just two days after Novell announced plans to be acquired by Attachmate as part of a $2.2 billion deal that also involved the sale of some of the company's intellectual property being sold to the Microsoft-organized tech consortium CPTN Holdings.

"Novell will continue to own Novell's Unix copyrights following completion of the merger as a subsidiary of Attachmate," Novell's chief marketing officer, John Dragoon, said on the company's site earlier today.

What remains to … Read more