GPL and linking
Posted Feb 24, 2006 18:44 UTC (Fri) by
Duncan (guest, #6647)
In reply to:
GPL and linking by mattdm
Parent article:
On the dual-license model
Isn't it the case that it has now been enforced in (German) court, several
times, as Harald Welte and the Netfilter core team have aggressively
enforced their rights with the various hardware manufacturers that used
it? Google on court netfilter .
Apparently, the German system has a pretty short clock on things, so once
an alleged violator is notified, they have to respond rather quickly or
find themselves in court. It cuts down on the stalling tactics and causes
many companies to comply right away. Those that don't get dragged into
court and ultimately have to comply or face no longer being able to sell
their product in Germany (the entire EC??). It has happened to several
that dilly dallied too long, at least one of which apparently got beyond
the preliminary injunction to the permanent injunction -- backing the GPL.
Of course, a German court isn't a US court, or a Japanese court, or... but
to say the GPL hasn't been tested in court, blanket statement, is now
factually incorrect.
Also of potential interest is that the English version of the GPL is the
only official version. Other translations specifically state that they
aren't official, and that the English translation is to be considered
legally authoritative, should there be any discrepancy. Thus, it was
specifically the English version of the GPL that was held valid.
Duncan
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