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GPL in Court - Good or Bad?

Posted by Cliff on from the this-was-inevitable dept.

Irvu asks: "The Register has a lengthy opinion piece today about IBM's lawsuit, and the GPL. Barring a settlement this case will see the first test of the GPL in a court of law. Previously the GPL has functioned as a social contract with the implicit (albeit untested) force of law behind it. Any ruling now could radically alter the free-software/open-source landscape for good or ill. Andrew Orlowski dwells on these possible ills in his piece. What does Slashdot think? Is this test a good or bad thing? Do you have faith in the justice system (or IBM's Lawyers) to draw the right conclusions? And, how do you see any outcome affecting you?"

7 of 413 comments (clear)

  1. Is it just me... by mikeophile · · Score: 2, Funny

    Or did anyone else think that the ad for the O'Reilly book User Obliteration was part of the article on the Register?

  2. Courts rule software can be modified/redistributed by jamienk · · Score: 4, Funny

    August 11, 2003
    AP Wire
    In a surprise 6-3 decision today, the US Supreme Court has ruled that the GNU Public Lisense is not enforcable and that programmers, users, and sellers do not need copyright holders' permission in order to modify, copy, or redistribute any machine- or human- readable code.

    With IP law thus crippled, Free Software advocates expressed shock and confusion about how to proceed. "Now that I can just legally use a copy of NT with a cracked serial," Linux creator Linux Torvalds moaned in Washington, DC, "There doesn't seem much point..."

  3. Re:Either way it's a good thing by minusthink · · Score: 5, Funny

    "A legal test of the GPL is a good thing no matter how it turns out"

    I agree, as long I'm not paying for it.

    --
    "when life gets complicated, I like to take a nap in a tree and wait for dinner" - Hobbes.
  4. Re:OJ by dr_dank · · Score: 2, Funny

    Any faith I had in the legal system was lost on the O.J. Trial.

    If things pan out the same, I can't wait for SCO to lead the police on the Bronco chase.

    --
    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  5. Knock knock. by Heisenbug · · Score: 2, Funny

    - Who's there?

    - OJ.

    - OJ who?

    - *You* can be on the jury!

  6. Re:Either way it's a good thing by Ybrog · · Score: 2, Funny

    Actually, I believe the correct reply is "I have no recollection of that."

    --

    bleh

  7. SCO shot themselves in the foot by SQLz · · Score: 3, Funny

    Man, I knew this would happen. IBM is quoting all of Darl's crazy feverish rantings in their counter suit.

    If anything, this case is going to make the GPL stronger because there is no way we can loose.