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Lawyer Continues Android v. GPL Crusade

Posted by timothy on from the pound-on-the-table dept.

jfruhlinger writes "Edward Naughton has been insisting for months that Android violates the GPL because Google created a new set of Linux kernel headers that it hasn't released the source code for, despite the fact that it incorporates open source code. While numerous commentators, including those who helped write the kernel headers, claimed this code isn't copyrightable, Naughton in persisting in his crusade, saying that the questions need to be resolved in court for the good of the open source movement."

7 of 155 comments (clear)

  1. No legal standing by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Only the copyright holders have legal standing - and they've already said its all good. Naughton should know that, but that never stopped anyone who wants to do damage by creating FUD.

    1. Re:No legal standing by Noughmad · · Score: 5, Insightful

      But is that the correct thing to do? So we should just ignore Google's blatant violation of GPL?

      The correct thing to do is respect the opinion of the people who have the copyright. If they say it's OK, then it's OK. It's as much a violation as entering a house after its owner allows you in.

      --
      PlusFive Slashdot reader for Android. Can post comments.
    2. Re:No legal standing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hi, Edward J. Naughton, nice of you to join Slashdot.

      So, who's paying you to bring forth all this FUD? Microsoft? Apple? I'm fairly certain you're not doing this due to your altruistic nature.

  2. American History X by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I loved him in American History X

  3. Re:Even if he's wrong, he's exercising his rights by ilguido · · Score: 5, Informative

    Yeah, he's got nothing to gain from this crusade. I wonder why he deleted all the references to his microsoft employment from his curriculum, that's probably because there are no interests connected to him or maybe because he has nothing to gain. Really.... a lawyer who has nothing to gain...

  4. Re:Header files are like phone books by icebike · · Score: 5, Informative

    But header use alone does not trigger a GPL requirement.

    From the second link:

    Torvalds responded to my inquiry on March 21 and had this to say:

    "It seems totally bogus. We've always made it very clear that the kernel system call interfaces do not in any way result in a derived work as per the GPL, and the kernel details are exported through the kernel headers to all the normal glibc interfaces too.

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    Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
  5. Re:a little knowledge by UnknowingFool · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Or a lawyer who is secretly working for a client with an agenda. Mr. Naughton's former client is Microsoft. While he does not say they are a current client, he has scrubbed his bio to remove all references to them.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.