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Castle Technology UK Ripping off Kernel Code?

Posted by chrisd on from the bad-company-no-cookie-for-you dept.

Jonathan Riddell writes "`It would appear that Castle Technology Limited, UK, have taken some of the Linux 2.5 code, and incorporated it into their own product, "RISC OS", which is distributed in binary ROM form built into machines they sell. This code is linked with other proprietary code.' Full details from Russell King on lkml."

19 of 745 comments (clear)

  1. Test for the GPL by Picass0 · · Score: 4, Funny


    Let's see if the goat has teeth!

  2. Wait only the consumer is a pirate. by HanzoSan · · Score: 2, Funny


    Corperate Piracy is ok, its only when people share without profiting that its Piracy.

    This is why Linux is bad but Shared source is ok.

    Just call Michael Robertson for more info.

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  3. They've recieved one warning by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    And apparantly it just resulted in them trying to better hide the incriminating code in later versions of the product.

    Okay, then. Let's get everybody forming into single-file lines; you'll receive your pitchforks on the left, torches on the right. Please, no shoving, there will be plenty for everyone.

  4. Yeah and they even intend to make YOU buy it by HanzoSan · · Score: 3, Funny


    They want to sell you stuff they stole, they should be raided by the RIAA!!! Get Em Hilary Rosen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  5. KING writes about CASTLE? by monadicIO · · Score: 4, Funny

    Is this for real?

    --

    The law of excluded middle : Either I'm foo or I'm foobar

  6. Re:Sue them by HanzoSan · · Score: 2, Funny


    Lets see, uh Linus?

    I'll tell you what, if he doesnt sue, then I'll take the kernel and release a closed source version of Linux with it and call it LinaazaOS

    --
    If you use Linux, please help development of Autopac
  7. Re:Sue them by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Yeah, thats the solution to everything. Sue.

  8. Re:Pirates! by wcmcgr · · Score: 4, Funny

    isn't it a little ironic a messanger titled "IntegrityMessenger" ripping off someone elses code?

  9. Re:Sue them by Idou · · Score: 2, Funny

    "Yeah, thats the solution to everything."

    It is if you are a lawyer ;)

    --
    Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
  10. Re:Pirates! by wcmcgr · · Score: 2, Funny

    hahah.. That is even better.. I didn't notice that.. wonder if god made them do it?

  11. No, it's like putting. . . by kfg · · Score: 2, Funny

    VC on your front porch, all radioactively tagged, with a sign that says,"Please help yourself to some capital, but if you make any money put something back in."

    Oh, and this is magical VC, so as soon as you take something out it's still got the same amount in the box. Nifty, huh?

    So, there's no real harm in taking out. No one "loses" anything. But if you take out, make money, and don't put back in you become what is technically known as a "shit head."

    And even the law has been known to formally uphold what it is generally refered to as the "social contract."

    Now the only question is what are armed South Vietnamese dissidents are doing on the front porch in the first place.

    KFG

  12. What's really stupid... by Wntrmute · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...Is that they could have borrowed code from a BSD instead, and no one would care, as the license specifically permits it.

    If these allegations are true, not only are they violating the GPL, they're morons to boot. :-)

  13. LART by devnull17 · · Score: 2, Funny

    According to ESR's Jargon File, a LART (Luser Attitude Readjustment Tool) is a large, blunt object used to smack some sense into people who do offensive (or offensively stupid) things. Could be just the thing here...

  14. Get a life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't know what is more disturbing: Somebody disgracing the sacred GPL for profit (GASP!), or the fact that somebody else actually examined a binary ROM looking for the binary signatures of Linux kernel functions.

    One of the two needs to get a life (I'll leave it up to you to decide who).

    I don't know what is more disturbing: a hacker mentioned on slashdot who needs to get a life, or somebody posting to slashdot on a Friday evening saying the hacker needs to get a life.

    One of the two needs to get a life (I'll leave it up to you to decide who).

  15. reminds me of a story... by newsdee · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't remember who it was (probably somebody here does), but there was once this company suing another for stealing their source.

    Of course the defendants blatantly denied everything and asked for proof. So in front of the judge and the rest of the audience, one of the programmers nonchalantly typed a sequence of keys on the defendant's software and... a huge easter egg showing the name of the original programmers appeared on the screen. :-)

    Too bad they changed the function signatures, such a definite victory may not be obtainable in court this time. But I sure hope a good precedent comes out of this.

    --
    The ENIAC Demo Competition
  16. Er....maybe.... by deanj · · Score: 2, Funny
    ....maybe they thought it was just an new MP3 file, and shared it with everyone...nothing wrong with that is there?

    Double standards...gotta love it.

  17. Re:Sue them by 7-Vodka · · Score: 2, Funny

    When all you have is a hammer.. everything starts to look like nails >:)

    --

    Liberty.

  18. now if only by W0lphAU · · Score: 2, Funny

    If only we cold discover linux source being used by microsoft. The war would be won.

  19. Re:why is anyone that stupid by Gadzinka · · Score: 2, Funny

    Perheaps it is because those BSD codebases aren't that good after all...

    Robert

    --
    Bastard Operator From 193.219.28.162