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Dealing With a GPL Violation?

Sortova writes "For many years now I've been maintaining OpenNMS, a free and open source network management framework published under the GPL. A couple of years ago it came to our attention that a company called Cittio was using OpenNMS as part of their proprietary and commercial network management application. I talked with Jamie Lerner, the Cittio founder, and he assured me that Cittio was abiding by the GPL. However, we were recently contacted by a potential client who was also considering Cittio's Watchtower, and it appears that they are not disclosing that they are using GPL'd code or at least not in the clear and concise fashion required by the GPL, including the offer of source code for all of the code they are including and any changes being made to that code. Since the copyright for OpenNMS is held by a number of commercial companies, the Software Freedom Law Center is not able to help us defend or even investigate a potential violation. I was curious if anyone here on Slashdot had experienced anything similar or has any advice?"

5 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Re:You don't know they are in violation by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    So they got it wrong. This matters why? Off-topic BSD users trolling as per usual..

  2. The first step. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    The first step in dealing with a GPL violation is making sure that you are not a fucking asshole. So you wrote code, released it, and made some stupid restrictions on it? That makes you a fucking asshole. Guess you're going to have to deal with the repercussions. Fucking capitalist swine.

  3. Re:Do a little digging yourself, get a lawyer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    This moron is going to have his ass sued off. It helps to have some concept of basic legal wrangling before taking on another legal entity. Regardless of whether you wrote the software or not. This person is going to end up "pwned" by the larger entity. Idiot.

    You supposedly want "freedom" and yet you throw a fit when some entity takes your software and uses it to their advantage. I'm laughing at you, as are thousands of others. Fucking patchouli-stinking communist.

    I have personally bypassed the entire issue by releasing my code under the BSD license. Use it as you see fit. I'm not so goddamn arrogant as to think I can dictate how you use my inventions. If I didn't want you to profit from them, I would not have released them. Those who release under GPL are nothing but egotistical assholes.

  4. Are you suprised? by bigredradio · · Score: 0, Troll

    Are you suprised? Come on, you publish the SOURCE code. That's a lot easier to steal than DRM software and media.

  5. Re:Bye bye my application by Hal_Porter · · Score: 0, Troll

    No, good GPL programmers sign over their work to the collective farm, err FSF and patents are a tool of greedy kulaks. That is why the GPLv3 forces you to license them for free to everyone. You should work solely for the betterment of society - money is an obsolete concept in this new Socialist age of plenty.

    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;