Ballmer: Linux infringes on Microsoft intellectual property

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking at a conference in Seattle last week, said Microsoft signed the recent deal with Novell because Linux uses Microsoft’s intellectual property and Microsoft wants to get the "appropriate economic return" for its innovation.

"We’ve had an issue, a problem that we’ve had to confront, and because open-source Linux does not come from a company - Linux comes from the community - the fact that that product uses our patented intellectual property is a problem for our shareholders," Ballmer said, according to transcripts of the speech released by Novell.

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