Cisco fesses up to iPhone WIP300 GPL failings, is "taking steps"

Apple isn't the only one having trouble messing with intellectual property as it relates to its iPhone product. Cisco was apparently reprimanded in October by a certain Armijn Hemel over unreleased code which, under the GPL-license that the phone submits to due to its Linux underpinnings, is required to be made available publicly. After the chat in October, Cisco fixed a few of its other products that Mr. Hemel pointed out were in violation, but still hasn't come clean with certain bits of WIP300 iPhone code. "For someone talking about Apple using Cisco's property," said Hemel, "actually they're infringing on copyright themselves. So it's just a double standard." In a response on Saturday, Cisco's prolific blogger John Earnhard states: "Based on our investigation, Cisco is taking steps to resolve a single issue raised regarding this product's compliance with the GNU General Public License, or GPL." No word on when this will all be patched up, or whether Cisco's fixes will be sufficient, but for the moment it sounds like the GPL kids are going to get their way. Will the curse of the iPhone live on? Tune in next week for Pirates of the iPhone: Apple and Cisco At World's End.

[Via The Inquirer]

Read - Cisco's iPhone violates GPL, expert says
Read - Cisco responds

[Yaya @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:12PM]

As much as I don't like apple, even I have to admit that apple should be able to come up with a better name then iphone anyway. Any loser fanboy with terrible photo shopping skillz could have (and did) come up with iPhone. It's not too late to back out either, just pull the crap Nintendo pulled with the Revolution. Except this time, instead of switching an awesome name for a stupid (not to mention innuendo inducing) one, apple can do the reverse (minus the innuendos of course).

[thegoodoldkicker @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:15PM]

Oh please, STOP IT. We all know Engadget are PRO Apple and see NO EVIL In APPLE, even agreed with apple on the $2 wifi thingies. So please STOP it. Everyone know Apple stole iPhone from Cisco. And it's look like it's gonna cost apple a few hundred millions to win this battle, even billions if they lose.

[cs32 @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:27PM]

@Tom: Yes, they should respect the GPL. However, on many sites you will read people yelling because soembody did not "respect" the GPL, then in the same breath talk about how they make copies of Windows, music, DVDs, etc simply because they do not agree with the license. Will you stand up and say that they need to respect those licenses? Or should others be able to duplicate OSS code and do whatever they wish, including not releasing the changed code?

[Tom @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:48PM]

You don't understand how GPL works. Any code released as GPL can be used as any company sees fit, on the condition that all code resultant will be released with the same licence. By not following that condition, they are breaking their licence agreements with the original authors of the code they used in their phone. Unless they comply to the licence agreement, or remove the code, they are wide open to copyright infringement suits. Its not that I wouldn't love to see phones running linux thrive, but I want to see the manufacturers honour the hard work the original authors put in.

[Frank @ Jan 22nd 2007 4:44PM]

This is a copyright violation, not a trademark violation. Cisco contends that apple is in violation of its trademark. There is a difference. Apple is not violating the copyright by using the iPhone moniker, but rather the trademark which is in theory owned by Cisco.

[Tom @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:39PM]

Respect the GPL.

[KC @ Jan 22nd 2007 5:45PM]

That phone... geeze... my kids' toy phone looks better than that, GPL or not.

[cs32 @ Jan 22nd 2007 9:49PM]

Thanks for trying to deflect the argument, twist it into something else, and then ignore the question I posed. The very first line in my post was "Yes, they should respect the GPL.". If Cisco is not following the license, then they should be held responsible. But what about the people who have a fit that when the GPL is not followed (they are correct in doing so, I may add) and then brag about downloading a copy of Windows, a DVD, or something else from a torrent, and thus violating the license of that software? Shouldn't the OSS community be as upset about that happening?

[Octothorpe @ Jan 22nd 2007 6:13PM]

This is absolutely pathetic, for starters, this isn't the first time that Cisco/Linksys has been accused of not releasing GPL meterial, but the iPhone Apple thing is abslutely unrelated. I would argue that this isn't even a direct copyright violation, Ciso MAY have used GPL materials in their iPhone, but they aren't exactly stealing the material either, they should honor the GPL though, but that is repairable. Apple's use of Cisco's iPhone trademark is absolute trademark infringment, and the willfully and knowingly used it without permission, Apple knew the trademark was Cisco's. Somebody needs to think before the speak (or write, or blog). My mother always told me "Better to stay quite and be thought a fool then open up your mouth and remove all doubt".