From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S265234AbUJARkS (ORCPT ); Fri, 1 Oct 2004 13:40:18 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S265395AbUJARkS (ORCPT ); Fri, 1 Oct 2004 13:40:18 -0400 Received: from sccrmhc13.comcast.net ([204.127.202.64]:44465 "EHLO sccrmhc13.comcast.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S265234AbUJARkK (ORCPT ); Fri, 1 Oct 2004 13:40:10 -0400 From: jmerkey@comcast.net To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Cc: jmerkey@drdos.com Subject: Re: Possible GPL Violation of Linux in Amstrad's E3 Videophone Date: Fri, 01 Oct 2004 17:40:07 +0000 Message-Id: <100120041740.9915.415D967600014EC2000026BB2200758942970A059D0A0306@comcast.net> X-Mailer: AT&T Message Center Version 1 (Sep 14 2004) X-Authenticated-Sender: am1lcmtleUBjb21jYXN0Lm5ldA== Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Who cares about GPL violations in Linux . What can anyone do about it anyway. The FSF isn't going to sue anyone unless someone give them the money to do it. Most of this banter and name calling people do about it is a waste of time. What punishment will anyone get for it. A few people writing mean emails and finder pointing -- Yeah -- this will really stop someone from doing it. If you give your code away GPL, or not you have just done just that. Tigrian is correct in his statements. Even if you review it and make a fuss it does nothing to stop people. The GPL is flawed since it does not require people to go back to the copyright holders and demand a license for commerical use. This is the only way you will ever stop these people. So instead of being whinny babies about it, fix the GPL and add this language. Then anyone who uses the code in a commerical enterprise will be required to get a license, and you can actually do something about it. Oops. Too late. Linux has a huge trail of everyone's code under the GPL so you cannot re-release the code under another license unless the entire code base is re-written. So anyone can fork it at any point and claim, "we never accepted the license even though we download and use the code. Guess what, this is legally valid to say and totally circumvents the GPL, they just have to leave your copyright notices in place. :-) Jeff