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Wine Now Has Big-Time Lawyers On Its Side

Posted by timothy on from the yerrhoner-ish-purrfik-hic-ly-obvioush dept.

Roblimo writes "For years there's been fear that the Wine Project would get sued by Microsoft at some point, and this fear has kept IBM and other major free software-using companies from participating openly in it. Now the Software Freedom Law Center, headed by Columbia University law professor Eben Moglen, is offering free legal services to Wine (and other FOSS projects) to allay corporate fears and head off potential lawsuits."

7 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. An angel? by karlandtanya · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I believe this is called an "angel" in the business world.


    My question is "what's their interest?".


    I don't think this is a bad thing, just curious.


    Is the free software movement gaining enough public exposure that helping it is seen as contributing to the public good?


    Are we approaching a tipping point in the perception of FOSS?


    here's hoping.

    --
    "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
  2. But does it have... by GillBates0 · · Score: 4, Interesting
    the LAW on it's side?

    Not trolling here, and neither AIAL (am I a lawyer), but can Wine be sued for reverse engineering (definition may vary) Windows APIs/functionality under the DMCA?

    From what we've seen in the past, even something as simple/straightforward like pressing the shift key can be construed as "intentionally breaking copy protection mechanisms" by sue-happy companies.

    Is reverse engineering document formats (OpenOffice), OS APIs (Wine), illegal under the DMCA, or can it be spun as such?

    --
    An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
  3. WINE by robpoe · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder why Microsoft wouldn't actually PARTICIPATE in this project, or even write a low-cost version of it's own to (yes, I'm going to say it on Slashdot) sell.

    Sure, it's kind of stabbing it's main flagship product in the back, but isn't that what their "Windows Lite" for the Asian markets do?

    Since Indian companies are creating little cheap Linux laptops/computers, Asian companies are selling little cheap Linux computers, why would Microsoft not sell a $35 add-on for Linux, tightly registration controlled (Yes, I said that, too) that allows Microsoft-compiled applications to run on Linux.

    Don't jump on me for saying Microsoft should write for Linux. Of course they should. It's unfathomable that they DONT support Linux. Heck, even monolithic old NOVELL is supporting their products on the triad of main OS'es now. Linux, MS-WIN and Mac. They're even migrating Netware to a Linux base.

    --
    = Grow a brain...
  4. Re:Might trigger lawsuits by gregm · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Yeah that actually makes sense.... why bother to sue when you know they're just going to lay down before it goes to court... wait till they get lawyers so a precedent can be set.

  5. Hmm by fr0dicus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I would have thought that IBM etc. don't get involved because it's better to produce your own applications than reproduce the 'chasing a moving target' scenario which was the exact thing that killed OS/2.

  6. Re:You could be right. by AaronGTurner · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Hold on a moment -

    The legal support is free. So the fact that Wine has legal support now does not in any way mean that they suddenly also have money.

    If there is a lawsuit and Wine loses Microsoft doesn't get to take the lawyers to the cleaners.

    So this development does not mean there is any more money to gain from Microsoft's point of view.

  7. Re:Hear that? by hacker · · Score: 4, Interesting
    "I'm sorry, that's rude, but the big problem with lawsuits isn't just having one thrown at you, it's the long and drawn-out process of having to see it all the way through to the end. Forget about the merits of the case, if you've got a lawsuit coming, and you're small, you're a hell of a lot less worried about a guilty verdict and a hell of a lot more worried about going bankrupt, because in the big time lawyers prey on fears of the latter more than the former."

    How right you are.

    I live about 10 miles from the biggest casino in the world (and its not in Vegas). There was a case years ago where an elderly couple here saved their entire lives to buy a plot of land right on a busy corner so they could invest in the Dunkin Donuts franchise as part of their retirement. They wanted to own the Dunkin Donuts on this corner and live off of the profits.

    This plot of land was also in a key location for the nearby casino to put some advertising and an employee/patron parking lot... so they sued the elderly couple and took them to court (with absolutely no valid reason for the lawsuit).

    Years later and many delays and continuances, the elderly couple's life savings was completely drained holding up their legal end of the battle. This couple already owned the land that they wanted to put this Dunkin Donuts on.

    The casino gave them one final offer: Give us the deed to the land and we won't continue to sue you. Since the couple wanted some money to live off of for the rest of their golden years, they gave in and gave the casino the land.. and in exchange the casino dropped their lawsuit.

    I have one word for them: FUCKERS ! (And I'm Native American too, but their abuses on this particular casino/reservation go WAY beyond tribal honor).

    This stuff makes me want to vomit.