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Linux Devicemaker Sued In First US Test of GPL

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the running-it-up-the-flagpole dept.

An anonymous reader writes "For the first time in the U.S., a company is being taken to court for a GPL violation. The Software Freedom Law Center has sued Monsoon Multimedia over alleged GPL violations in the Hava, a place- and time-shifting TV recorder similar to the SlingBox. Interestingly, Monsoon Multimedia is run by a highly experienced international lawyer named Graham Radstone. According to his corporate biography, Radstone has an MA in Law from the University of Cambridge, England, and held the top legal spot at an unnamed "$1 billion private multinational company." He also reportedly held top management positions with Philip Morris, Pfizer, and DHL. Sounds like the makings of a good old legal Donnybrook ahead."

8 of 315 comments (clear)

  1. No Stallman! by QuesarVII · · Score: 3, Funny

    I just hope they don't put Stallman on the stand!

  2. Over under by Supergood-ape · · Score: 4, Funny

    On the number of amateur law experts (with absolutely no fucking idea what they're talking about) that turn out for this one?

    250?

  3. Place- and Time-shifting TV Recorder ...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Why limit yourself to a Place and Time-shifting TV Recording when you can call it...

    A SPACIAL-TEMPORAL DISPLACEMENT AUDITORY VISUAL TRANSLATIONAL DEVICE!

  4. Re:Where is the copyright registration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    There is no need to register copyright since March 1, 1989..

    I see you have been under a rock. You might want to catch up on some other events such as: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the cold war, and the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

  5. Monsoon must be suicidal by petrus4 · · Score: 3, Funny

    The court case itself is trivial, regardless of the outcome. The point is what is going to happen to Monsoon outside the courtroom. A court case like this is the equivalent of Stallman standing up and yelling, "Attack, my children! Destroy them!" The legion of cultists are going to swarm, regardless of what the lawyers do.

    The owner of Monsoon might want to start thinking about what he wants written on his headstone right about now. If it were me, I'd be checking land prices in Siberia or the Antarctic. ;-)

  6. Oy vi by Ilan+Volow · · Score: 2, Funny

    Once GNU will comes out with a free software Hava clone called "gnagila" we can do circle dances.

    --
    Ergonomica Auctorita Illico!
  7. Bad idea by Titoxd · · Score: 2, Funny

    The owner of Monsoon might want to start thinking about what he wants written on his headstone right about now. If it were me, I'd be checking land prices in Siberia or the Antarctic. ;-) Why would you want land in the Antarctic? There's PENGUINS there!

    ~~~~
  8. Is there a University of Cambridge, England? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    If so, where is it?

    I thought Cambridge was in Mass. Have the Brits started copying us? Don't we have a copyright on our top Colleges?