The SCO vs. Linux contest took on a soap opera-like quality today with Novell issuing a press release that challenges SCO's ownership of UNIX. In the words of Jack Messman, Novell's CEO:

[C]ontrary to SCO's assertions, SCO is not the owner of the UNIX copyrights. Not only would a quick check of U.S. Copyright Office records reveal this fact, but a review of the asset transfer agreement between Novell and SCO confirms it. To Novell's knowledge, the 1995 agreement governing SCO's purchase of UNIX from Novell does not convey to SCO the associated copyrights. We believe it unlikely that SCO can demonstrate that it has any ownership interest whatsoever in those copyrights. Apparently, you share this view, since over the last few months you have repeatedly asked Novell to transfer the copyrights to SCO, requests that Novell has rejected.

The tone of the letter (contained in the press release) has the feeling of a flame war on a newsgroup rather than a letter from one CEO to another.