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German Court Convicts Skype For Breaching GPL

Posted by kdawson on from the means-what-it-says dept.

terber writes "A German court has once again upheld the GPLv2 and convicted Skype (based in Luxembourg) of violating the GPL by selling the Linux-based VoIP phone 'SMCWSKP 100' without proper source code access. (Original is in German, link is a Google translation.) Skype later added a flyer to the phones' packaging giving a URL where the sources could be obtained; but the court found this insufficient and in breach of GPL section 3. The plaintiff was once again Netfilter developer Harald Welte, who runs gpl-violations.org. The decision is available in German at www.ifross.de (Google translation here)."

11 of 309 comments (clear)

  1. Damn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    What a bunch of GPL Nazis.

    1. Re:Damn by MontyApollo · · Score: 2, Funny

      >>What a bunch of GPL Nazis.

      Sorry, I laughed.

  2. Conflict and Chaos in the Hive Mind! by goldspider · · Score: 4, Funny

    Court upholding GPL - Good!
    Conviction for copyright violation - Bad!

    What's a loyal drone to believe anymore??

    --
    "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
    1. Re:Conflict and Chaos in the Hive Mind! by goldspider · · Score: 2, Funny

      Are we talking beer, speech, or herpes?

      --
      "Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
  3. Re:Slashdot Hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why not!

    In any case you have completely misrepresented peoples positions and conflated different groups.

    Don't look now but I think your strawman is on fire.

  4. Re:Slashdot Hypocrisy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes we can. And do. You see, RIAA/MPAA are evil. The OSS guys are good. Haven't you seen Star Wars?

  5. Re:Correct terminology by Mr.+Underbridge · · Score: 4, Funny

    Noone would be convicted of "breaching the GPL". The GPL is not an EULA. If you violate the terms of the GPL, you are (re)distributing without a license permitting you to do so (since the GPL, which you violated, is the only thing that gives you permission to do so), which is a copyright violation, not a GPL violation. I wish articles would get the specifics right.

    You win today's "Pedant of the day award." Look for your certificate in the mail.

  6. Re:Correct terminology by blhack · · Score: 3, Funny

    you get runner up for using the word "pedant".

    but you don't get a certificate. We're kindof assholes like that.

    --
    NewslilySocial News. No lolcats allowed.
  7. Server Error? by EmbeddedJanitor · · Score: 3, Funny

    My German is a bit rusty, but I'm pretty sure that "Server Error" is not a very good translation.

    --
    Engineering is the art of compromise.
  8. Holy Larva Batman! by fishthegeek · · Score: 2, Funny

    the case that also the program at the same place is offered for the Download: "If distribution OF executable or object code is larva by off ring ACCESS ton of CoPy from A designated place, then off ring equivalent ACCESS ton of CoPy the SOURCE code from the same place COUNTs as distribution OF the SOURCE code, even though third parties of acres emergency compelled tons of CoPy the SOURCE along with the object code." In all other cases of the software selling it is not sufficient to make the SOURCE code available only on-line one.

    It's a wonder why Microsoft hates the GPL, Balmer is afraid of GRUB(s)
    --
    load "$",8,1
  9. Re:Stop this rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Someone ist sehr crankisch.