Reasons for M$ siding with SCO are obvious to all but a handfull of 'analysts' (like Gartner). BTW, M$ announced it will license SCO's UNIX-related patents, although a search done by a journalist (in PC Magazine, I believe) showed there are none...

Anyway, a Gartner's pearl of wisdom:

'[Gartner] also recommended IT managers seek advice from their legal departments and perform "due diligence" on Linux or other open-source code by exploring its source and integrity. '

Interesting. So, closed-source code is guaranteed not to infringe on someone's IP by the virtue of being closed, it would seem. If not, it would also warrant "due diligence"; but, how to conduct it if it is closed?

BTW, ER deconstructs SCO claims brilliantly. Thanks for the link.