CSIRO beats Cisco logo claim, Microsoft may open-source Windows, Singtel's $1bn Trustwave purchase

Microsoft may one day make Windows open source, one of the company’s executives has claimed.

The company’s Mark Russinovich - CTO of Microsoft Azure and a Microsoft Technical Fellow - made the claim at the ChefConf conference in Silicon Valley, Wired reported.

Russinovich reportedly claimed that the company could one day open source the code behind Windows, giving it away for free.

“It’s definitely possible,” Wired quoted Russinovich as saying.

“Every conversation you can imagine about what should we do with our software - open versus not open versus services - has happened,” he said.

But many are dubious about the likelihood of an open source Windows any time soon. PCWorld said that open source Windows would be “unlikely in the near term”, adding that “open-sourcing Windows - and perhaps make it free to use - would also require Microsoft to give up a large chunk of the $4 billion or so a quarter it collectively receives from Windows, Windows Phone and Office licences”.

One ZDnet writer said they were “pretty doubtful” Microsoft would open source Windows, suggesting Microsoft might instead open source “pieces” of the OS.

According to some commentators, an open source Windows might become a reality a little later down the line. PCWorld quoted a vice president at IDC as saying: “[W]ould it make sense to open-source Windows in, maybe, 10 years? Quite possibly.”

It’s hard to say how much credence one should place in a possibly throwaway comment made by an executive at a conference. For what it’s worth, Cnet quoted a Microsoft spokesperson as saying: “We have not made any open-source policy or business model changes for Windows.”

CSIRO has beaten Cisco in logo case

The CSIRO has successfully fended off an attempt from Cisco to stop the research organisation from registering its logo as a trademark in Australia.

According to the Australasian Legal Information Institute, in January 2012 the CSIRO attempted to register the following logo as a trademark:

In November that year, Cisco filed a Notice of Opposition to the registration of the CSIRO’s logo, arguing that the CSIRO’s logo too closely resembled its own. Cisco offered these as examples:

and

Now, a delegate of the Registrar of Trade Marks - Iain Campbell Thompson - has determined that Cisco has failed to establish any grounds to deny the CSIRO’s trademark application.

In explaining his decision on the case, Thompson said: “… it is most unlikely that the similarities between [the CSIRO’s] Trade Mark and [Cisco’s] Logo Trade Mark would give rise to confusion”.

Thompson also said: “While there is an abstract resemblance between the trademarks in question, this resemblance does not, in my consideration, approach that where, because of the combined effects of the reputation and similarity, the use of [the CSIRO’s] trademark would be likely to deceive or cause confusion.”

Cisco has one month after the date of Thompson’s decision to launch an appeal.

Singtel buys Trustwave for $1 billion

Singtel - the Singaporean company that owns Optus - has entered into an agreement to acquire a 98% equity interest in managed security service provider Trustwave for US$810 (a little over $1 billion).

Trustwave’s chairman and CEO, Robert J McCullen, will hold the remaining 2% equity interest.

Trustwave is headquartered in Chicago with offices across the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. The company offers threat management, vulnerability management and compliance management services.

According to Trustwave, it will continue to be headquartered in Chicago post-acquisition, and it will operate as a standalone business unit of Singtel.

Chua Sock Koong, Singtel Group CEO, said of the acquisition: “We aspire to be a global player in cybersecurity.

“Our extensive customer reach and strong suite of ICT services, together with Trustwave’s deep cybersecurity capabilities, will create a powerful combination and allow Singtel to capture global opportunities in the cybersecurity space.”

McCullen, said: “We are excited to join Singtel and to leverage its global presence and resources to accelerate worldwide adoption of our security solutions.”

According to Singtel, the enterprise value of Trustwave is US$850 million. Singtel said the aggregate consideration for the transaction is about US$810 million for its 98% equity interest, excluding net debt.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to complete in three to six months.

Image courtesy Amanda Slater under CC