On TechRepublic: Five super-secret features in Windows 7
BNET Business Network:
BNET
TechRepublic
ZDNet
TalkBack 18 of 37:
Next »
« Previous
Seems to me...
...that in fact Microsoft once upon a time was told by FOSS advocates pretty much the same thing Dana is saying in this blog - that even if someone in the FOSS camp were "nicking" its IP, there's pretty much nothing MS could do about it, as there is little or no money involved. Who would MS sue? Some guy coding in his parents' basement?

And actually this is the same argument still being made by those who oppose the RIAA's attempts to enforce its copyrights - what good does it do to sue those who are infringing, since they have no money to begin with? The RIAA is also being told to just accept it, or better yet to just drop it altogether and let everyone have its IP freely.

So why should the FSF be any different? Is it really a matter not of infringement but of who is being infringed upon?

Carl Rapson
Posted by: rapson   Posted on: 06/23/09 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

Alert moderator to an offensive message

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

we need an international law  Linux Geek | 06/23/09
Or adopt the BSD license  Tiggster | 06/23/09
GPL is fine!  InAction Man | 06/23/09
Seriously?  Tiggster | 06/23/09
Eh ... maybe  daengbo | 06/26/09
that's not good enough  Linux Geek | 06/23/09
GPL doesn't prevent anything  Tiggster | 06/23/09
Apple and BSD  DeusExMachina | 06/24/09
Whatever nutjob  jackbond | 06/23/09
Gevernments do NOT get involved with civil matters.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 06/24/09
re: Gevernments do NOT get involved with civil matters.  goldenpirate@... | 06/24/09
*sigh*  zkiwi | 06/23/09
Stop worrying about it  Tiggster | 06/23/09
Isn't that too obvious?  InAction Man | 06/23/09
I guess following your logic...  zkiwi | 06/23/09
Much more difficult  Tiggster | 06/23/09
So...  zkiwi | 06/23/09
Seems to me...  rapson | 06/23/09
Ummm, sue for how much?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 06/23/09
Or expose them publicly.  InAction Man | 06/23/09
Do you think they care?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 06/24/09
That's not the idea...  scorchgeek | 06/24/09
FSF only sues if they do own the copyrights  gmatht | 06/24/09
Simple really!  InAction Man | 06/23/09
Then accept the consequences  Tiggster | 06/23/09
Ofcourse NOT  Aussie_Troll | 06/23/09
Minux??? You used the word MInux (whatever that may be) in a quote?  InAction Man | 06/23/09
Licenses allow one to use Copyrighted works.  B.O.F.H. | 06/23/09
The problem is enforcement  Tiggster | 06/23/09
It has already been tested in both the US and Germany.  B.O.F.H. | 06/23/09
And you think?  Tiggster | 06/23/09
It depends on the license a project/developer uses.  B.O.F.H. | 06/23/09
The question you keep dodging is...  Tiggster | 06/23/09
Tiggster, that is a question best asked of the lawyers.  B.O.F.H. | 06/23/09
This applies to GPL code only, not all Open Source works.  B.O.F.H. | 06/23/09
Cusotmers will learn to avoid companies that can't deliver.  softwareFlunky | 06/24/09
Dana, Are You STILL This Dense on The GPL?  dumptux | 06/24/09

What do you think?

SponsoredWhite Papers, Webcasts, and Downloads

advertisement
advertisement

Enterprise Applications

  • Check out some of the easiest and most powerful ways to boost productivity while saving money on your application infrastructure. See ZDNet's comprehensive Enterprise Application resource center, now!
  • New Online Dashboard
  • Read about top issues IT decision-makers face every day, plus get cost effective solutions to real life IT problems. Oracle Topline