Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

TiVo Says It Could Suffer Under GPLv3

Posted by kdawson on from the no-prevention-of-hacking dept.

Preedit writes to tell us that those busy folks over at InformationWeek have been scrutinizing yet more SEC filings, and Novell and Microsoft aren't the only ones concerned about certain provisions in the final draft of GPLv3. TiVo worries too. The problem is that TiVo boxes are Linux-based. They're also designed to shut down if the software is hacked by users trying to circumvent DRM features. But GPLv3 would prohibit TiVo's no-tamper setup. "If the currently proposed version of GPLv3 is widely adopted, we may be unable to incorporate future enhancements to the GNU/Linux operating system into our software, which could adversely affect our business," TiVo warns in a regulatory filing cited by InformationWeek."

4 of 710 comments (clear)

  1. Could be good news for BSD projects by TodMinuit · · Score: 1, Troll

    This may finally be the motivation the BSD world needs to replace GNU software, like the C library and compilers, with truly free alternatives. Here's hoping.

    --
    I wonder if I use bold in my signature, people will notice my posts.
  2. Boo hoo. Write your own software then. by Jackie_Chan_Fan · · Score: 1, Troll

    Its that simple

  3. So none of Tivo's legal counsels... by walter_f · · Score: 1, Troll

    ...told them about the implications of GPL to begin with?

    So Tivo has been spending lots of money on low-quality legal consultancy for years.

    And as to spending money:
    Tivo should start spending money, real money, today, on a DRM-friendly type of software base for their gear.
    Tivo should consider something like Windows Embedded and start shelling out tons of money for licences.

    From me, just a cordial "harr, harr" for Tivo (and all the others of that ilk). :-)

    Well done, Richard Stallman, Eben Moglen, Larry Lessig, and whoever contributed to the GPL, esp. GPL v3.
    Many thanks to you all.

    Walter.

  4. Re:That's fine by Tickletaint · · Score: 0, Troll

    If you license is too open, like a BSD license, everyone may use your stuff, but you'll never see any of it back and thus it doesn't do you any good in terms of having more contributed.
    Ah, but you see, BSD developers aren't such selfish bastards as to demand to "see any of it back," and they're not so limited in thought as to believe society suffers unless it works to further their political ends. BSD developers are happy to share their code for anyone's benefit, not just their own.
    --
    Make Slashdot readable! See journal.