The SCO Group has been ordered to pay Novell Inc. more than $2.5 million in royalties in a dispute over the Unix computer operating system.
Wednesday's award by U.S. District Judge Dale Kimball falls short of the nearly $20 million Novell was seeking. Nonetheless, SCO said it might appeal.
SCO originally brought a lawsuit against Novell in 2004 alleging slander of title. SCO asserted Novell hurt SCO's business and reputation by denying that Novell sold SCO ownership rights when it allowed SCO to take over the business of servicing Unix technology in 1995.
Novell countersued for license royalties. Kimball ruled last August that SCO didn't acquire ownership rights to Unix when it bought the licensing and development rights from Novell in 1995. That paved the way for Wednesday's award.
