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VLC Developer Takes a Stand Against DRM Enforcement

Posted by samzenpus on from the fighting-the-good-fight dept.

jamie writes "The GPL gives Apple permission to distribute this software through the App Store. All they would have to do is follow the license's conditions to help keep the software free. Instead, Apple has decided that they prefer to impose Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and proprietary legal terms on all programs in the App Store, and they'd rather kick out GPLed software than change their own rules."

3 of 717 comments (clear)

  1. Re:VLC developer using this as soapbox!!! by icecoldkilla · · Score: 5, Informative

    No. Under GPL if I add something useful and extend the program, I have to also post those changes under GPL.

    Only if you distribute the program the restriction kicks in. If you just use the program no one is going to force you to post the changes and modifications.

  2. Re:Download now? by rdebath · · Score: 5, Informative

    NO.

    All the provisions of the GPL apply to distributing exact and modified copies of the software.

    If you make changes to GPL software but do not distribute it there is nothing that says you must provide your changes to anyone. ONLY if you distribute the software must you make provision for distributing the source of the version you distribute.

  3. Re:Looks by jo_ham · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Apple" doesn't offer you a limited number of region changes, that is part of the firmware of the DVD drive, and is common to *all* DVD drives to be in compliance with the specification. It's a brainless part of the spec, but it is in there at the behest of the movie industry. All of Apple's drives are standard off-the-shelf drives from a number of manufacturers - off the top of my head, they use Sony, Matashita (panasonic), NEC and Pioneer drives, among others.

    VLC can attempt to ignore the region code, but it only works on some drives. Certain ones (usually the more modern Panasonic ones) are crippled further, preventing bypass of the region lock this way. My older Powerbook's drive can be bypassed with VLC, but my newer iMac's drive doesn't work like that and required that I patch it with an RPC-1 firmware.

    In order to actually sell a DVD drive, it has to have this brainless region coding - the manufacturers who make them would face licensing consequences if they shipped region free drives. Apple itself does not make DVD drives, but they are affected by this downstream - they can't install custom firmwares that remove the restriction.