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Groklaw

From Alfawiki
Groklaw
Company typeWebsite
IndustryLegal news, Free and open source software
FoundedMay 16, 2003; 23 years ago (2003-05-16)
FounderPamela Jones ("PJ")
Headquarters
United States
ProductsLegal coverage and analysis related to free and open source software
Websitegroklaw.net

Groklaw was a website dedicated to legal developments impacting the free and open source software community. Created on May 16, 2003, by paralegal Pamela Jones ("PJ"), it provided coverage of major legal disputes including the SCO lawsuits, the EU’s antitrust proceedings against Microsoft, and debates surrounding the standardization of Office Open XML.

Jones characterized Groklaw as "a platform where legal professionals and tech enthusiasts could collaborate to better comprehend each other’s fields."

The name Groklaw stems from the term "grok", meaning "to fully understand," a word commonly used within technology circles.

In addition to litigation, the site addressed topics such as software patents, the DMCA, enforcement actions by the RIAA targeting alleged unauthorized file sharing, and legal issues affecting free software projects like Android and Linux.

Origins

Jones launched the blog in 2003 to provide timely legal updates relevant to the technology sector.

Its inaugural post, titled "The Grokster Decision – Ode To Thomas Jefferson," examined the effects of peer-to-peer technology on the music business, highlighting the MGM Studios, Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd. verdict that favored the defendants. This was contrasted with the earlier Napster litigation that resulted in Napster’s closure, including commentary on attorney David Boies.

The second entry focused on the SCO v. IBM case under the headline "SCO Falls Downstairs, Hitting its Head on Every Step." It critiqued Caldera Systems’ out-of-court strategies and featured statements from influential figures such as Bruce Perens, Richard Stallman, Steve Ballmer, and Linus Torvalds. It also noted concerns regarding David Boies’ role representing SCO despite doubts about his grasp of technical matters.

Rapidly embraced by free software advocates, the blog attracted numerous volunteers and commentators. Its expansion prompted a move from Radio Userland to an independent site hosted by ibiblio, utilizing Geeklog software as of November 22, 2003.

Main focus

Jones concentrated primarily on the Caldera Systems v. IBM litigation (with Caldera Systems later becoming The SCO Group). She also reported extensively on intellectual property disputes and patent-related controversies, including Microsoft’s claims against Linux and developments around the GPL version 3. Groklaw earned recognition for breaking down intricate legal subjects with detailed analysis. Community contributors often attended trials and conducted interviews with prominent individuals in software and IP law.

The website functioned as a collaborative community project. Although Jones had legal training but lacked programming skills, many readers brought technical expertise to discussions on subjects such as:

These areas were closely connected to the SCO v. IBM lawsuit and were frequently revisited throughout coverage. Later topics included The SCO Group’s lawsuits against companies like Daimler Chrysler, AutoZone, and Novell, alongside countersuits such as that filed by Red Hat. The site also reported on Microsoft’s efforts to expedite approval of OOXML as an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard.

Awards

Groklaw garnered accolades from various legal organizations and earned several prestigious honors:

  • 2012 – Included in the ABA Journal Blawg 100
  • 2010 – Recipient of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) Pioneer Award
  • 2009 – Featured in Datamation's Top 200 Tech Blogs, recognized for its enduring impact beyond the SCO litigation
  • 2008 – Awarded the Free Software Foundation’s FSF Award for Projects of Social Benefit
  • 2007 – Honored with the Knowledge Masters Award for Innovation by Knowledge Trust and Louis Round Wilson Academy
  • 2007 – Named Best FUD Fighter at the Google-O'Reilly Open Source Awards
  • 2005 – Recognized as Best News Site and Best Community Site or Blog (Non-Profit) by ConsortiumInfo*.org
  • 2005 – Dana Blankenhorn received Best Blogger of the Year from Corante
  • 2004 – Earned Best Website of 2004 from The Inquirer; Best Independent Tech Blog by TechWeb Network; and Best Nontechnical or Community Website from Linux Journal
  • 2003 – Awarded Best News Site by OSDir.com

Editorial stance

Founded and maintained by Jones, Groklaw presented news and commentary from a clearly stated pro-FOSS viewpoint, while actively opposing FUD tactics.

The site closely monitored SCO’s legal battles, featuring reader discussions that largely supported Linux and criticized SCO’s positions.

Media controversy

Jones gained considerable esteem among journalists and within the Linux community. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols highlighted her as a leading legal IT journalist who significantly advanced the reporting on SCO’s litigation.

Nevertheless, both Jones and Groklaw were subjected to notable attacks, which were documented on the site itself as well as during court proceedings related to SCO’s lawsuits.

For two years, Jones contributed anonymously under the pseudonym "PJ". In May 2005, Linux World published an article attempting to disclose her true identity. Prior to this revelation, SCO CEO Darl McBride had announced an inquiry into Jones. The article included unconfirmed personal information and contact details. Following public outcry, complaints to the publisher, advertiser pressure, and a denial-of-service attack targeting Sys-Con’s website, Sys-Con issued a formal apology and discontinued O'Gara’s LinuxGram column. Despite this, O'Gara continued his role at Sys-Con Media as editor of the Virtualization News Desk and was regarded as a reputable technology journalist.

McBride and SCO communications head Blake Stowell accused Jones of being employed by IBM; both she and IBM refuted these allegations in official court documents. During an April 2005 conference call, McBride disparaged Groklaw as "full of misinformation." Subsequent judicial decisions weakened many of McBride’s assertions—most notably regarding SCO’s claimed ownership of UNIX copyrights. The jury ultimately ruled that Novell held these copyrights, a verdict later affirmed on appeal.

McBride further alleged that Linux was created through widespread code theft. SCO’s presented evidence consisted mainly of minor resemblances in nine lines of code, prompting Judge Wells to question, "Is this all you have?" MIT Professor Randall Davis demonstrated that Linux source code contained no copyrightable UNIX components.

Additional projects

In anticipation of potential legal challenges facing GNU, Linux, and free software, Jones initiated Grokline in May 2004—a project documenting Unix ownership history. A key achievement was securing and publishing the previously sealed 1994 settlement from USL v. BSDi, which clarified Unix intellectual property rights via a California freedom of information request.

The Grokdoc wiki, launched in 2004, aimed to develop straightforward and accessible documentation tailored for new users of Linux.

Groklaw provided comprehensive coverage on topics including software patents, the effects of the DMCA on free software, open standards, digital rights management, and GPLv3 developments. It also featured The Daemon, the GNU & the Penguin, a series authored by Peter Salus chronicling the histories of Unix, Linux, and GNU.

Additionally, the site reported extensively on the high-profile Oracle v. Google lawsuit wherein Oracle accused Google’s Android platform of infringing Java copyrights and patents.

Later developments

In January 2009, Groklaw redirected its efforts towards organizing and preserving its extensive legal archives. By April 2010, the Library of Congress had chosen the site for inclusion in its web archiving project focused on Legal Blogs.

On April 9, 2011, Pamela Jones declared that Groklaw would stop publishing new content as of May 16, 2011—marking the eighth anniversary of the site—having accomplished its primary objective related to the SCO litigation. At that time, editorial responsibilities were transferred to Mark Webbink.

Following a resurgence of patent and copyright disputes involving Android, Jones returned to a co-editor position alongside Webbink.

The site's last post was published on August 20, 2013, highlighting extensive government surveillance as fundamentally at odds with the privacy required for collaborative efforts. Jones explained that the persistent monitoring rendered further publication untenable.

Throughout 2020, access to the website was sporadic. By 2022, some sections remained reachable; however, by October 2024, visitors were met with a GoDaddy domain parking page. As of July 18, 2025, groklaw.net is active again, though with minor issues affecting navigation.

See also

External links

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