http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/ Engadget Comments for Verizon sued over GPL code in FiOS routers http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Consider your name Jeff Gerstmann Mr. Patel.]]>Dec 7th 2007 8:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 8:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 8:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
FIOS router? The thing on the outside of the house? The broadband router they provide (which sits in the closet unused)? Some device in their data center?

I suspect this is the router they provide to end users. How is VZW responsible for that? It's just an Actiontec router. It's pretty good, but I don't use it.

Now I know how GPL "free" software guys make a living. Almost as bad as patent trolls. Or will the settlement go to just the lawyers? If so: GPL even more evil.]]>Dec 7th 2007 8:47PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
So if these guys take someone elses source code licensed under GPL, modify it, and re-distributed it, then they are 'obligated' to also release the source code. ]]>Dec 7th 2007 8:57PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 11:37PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 8th 2007 10:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
Let see. Who has the most money? Actiontec (or whoever builds the routers for VZ in this particular case) or Verizon? I guess that explains why they sue Verizon and not those who actually build the routers. Will they file against Newegg or BestBuy next?

]]>Dec 7th 2007 11:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 8th 2007 12:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 10th 2007 4:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 8th 2007 7:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 8:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 9:05PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 9:07PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
they've had a lot of problems with the actiontec routers though... d-link's usually suck pretty bad too, but they had a lot less complaints with them.

I'm so glad I don't work in the FiOS call center anymore...]]>Dec 7th 2007 9:15PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 9:45PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 8th 2007 12:25PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 8th 2007 12:32PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
Release the source, no harm done.]]>Dec 7th 2007 9:51PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 10:13PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
GPL code *is copyrighted*. That's the whole point. It's licensed by the copyright holders, aka the writers of the software, under a specific set of terms. If you don't follow the terms, *you are violating copyright*. Same as anybody else who violates copyright. You only have permission to distribute in accordance with the license; if you distribute in a non-compliant way, you lose your permission to distribute and revert to being a software pirate. No different than anybody else who distributes without permission. Verizon are currently distributing this software without permission, just as you are if you share a copy of Windows over a peer to peer network.

Those who license software under the GPL are relying on the enforcement of copyright law. They are not at all "copyleft". Otherwise why do you think major companies like IBM and HP would be putting GPL code into various applications all over the place? It's free to use, but that doesn't mean it's not still copyrighted to those companies, and they have chosen a specific license that it can be used under.

There is very little open source software that is not copyrighted and licensed. This is one of the major misunderstandings of open source. Open source != public domain.

This is also why it's not really enough for Verizon to just release the source code and be done with it. That would be like saying it's enough for you to just stop distributing that copy of Windows over a P2P network and MS should then leave you alone. Large-scale copyright infringement has been going on for god knows how long here. If individuals are being made to pay thousands of dollars for sharing a few songs on P2P networks, how much should a large corporation have to pay for infringing copyright on a massive scale for a period of years?
]]>Dec 8th 2007 3:34AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 10:20PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/There has been a swarm of Verizon trucks lattly.]]>Dec 7th 2007 11:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
Cleveland needs some faster internet choices. We have Wideopenwest and TWC. Both suck ass.]]>Dec 8th 2007 9:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
People should just SUE a company because they think they are doing something wrong.

There should be a law that if you do not directly contact and state the problem with the other party you are not allowed to sue them.]]>Dec 7th 2007 10:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
Seems pretty cut and dried, they asked nice, Verizon ignored, probably due to ignorance rather than anything intentional. Lawsuit will be dismissed as soon as they release the code, they've done this thing quite a few times before.

As for "Copyleft is rapidly becoming as lame and counter-innovation as copyright.", all they are trying to do is make sure all changes are available for all to use and further modify. Hardly counter-innovation.]]>Dec 7th 2007 10:39PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 7th 2007 11:18PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
My TV runs busybox! Go GPL go!]]>Dec 8th 2007 12:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
The router is pretty good though. If they only fixed the tiny tiny NAT i wouldnt have to use it as a bridge instead of a router. I reconfigured the actiontek as a bridge to a wrt54gl with dd-wrt and have had zero problems since.]]>Dec 8th 2007 3:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/Dec 8th 2007 6:27PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/07/verizon-sued-over-gpl-code-in-fios-routers/
Huh huh. I said anal.. huh huh]]>Dec 8th 2007 8:39PM