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Kubuntu 12.10 gains Blue Systems as sponsor, Canonical waves farewell

Zachary Lutz — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:27:00 EST

Everyone loves a happy ending, and it's with this in mind that we share the latest round of good news from the Kubuntu team. Starting with version 12.10, the popular KDE variant of Ubuntu will have sponsorship from Blue Systems. Previously, Canonical announced its intention to drop its sponsorship of Kubuntu after the 12.04 LTS, Precise Pangolin release, but later revealed a willingness to let the Kubuntu team seek other sponsors. Fortunately, it's found a good one. Blue Systems has a solid track record in the KDE community and similarly sponsors distributions such as Netrunner and the KDE variant of Linux Mint. Likewise, it's encouraged Kubuntu developers to stay close to their roots and follow the same successful formula as before. The future looks bright for Kubuntu, and it's full of Plasma.

Kubuntu 12.10 gains Blue Systems as sponsor, Canonical waves farewell originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge tells Oracle to rethink $2.6 billion claim against Google

Terrence O'Brien — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:42:00 EST

The war between Google and Oracle is far from over, but the big G keeps racking up tiny victories in what are admittedly modest battles. Now the Redwood Shores-based company has been told to go back to the drawing board with its damages report. Originally Oracle sought $2.6 billion, but its theories were largely dismissed and Judge William Alsup suggested an alternative starting point of roughly $100 million. The company still has an opportunity to present a new report, one that will likely seek much more than the proposed $100 million, but things are looking increasingly tough for the claimant. It wasn't all good news for Goog, though. While the judge told Oracle to narrow its focus from Android as a whole to just specific infringing features, he did agree that related advertising revenue should be included in the theoretical royalty base. He also offered harsh criticism for what he viewed as its "brazen" disregard for intellectual property rights. The trial is still scheduled for October, so we should have a better idea of how this whole thing will play out by Halloween.

Judge tells Oracle to rethink $2.6 billion claim against Google originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 03:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android source code, Java, and copyright infringement: what's going on?

Nilay Patel — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:15:00 EST

So it's been a fun day of armchair code forensics and legal analysis on the web after Florian Mueller published a piece this morning alleging Google directly copied somewhere between 37 and 44 Java source files in Android. That's of course a major accusation, seeing as Oracle is currently suing Google for patent and copyright infringement related to Java, and it prompted some extremely harsh technical rebuttals, like this one from ZDNet and this one from Ars Technica. The objections in short: the files in question are test files, aren't important, probably don't ship with Android, and everyone is making a hullabaloo over nothing.

We'll just say this straight out: from a technical perspective, these objections are completely valid. The files in question do appear to be test files, some of them were removed, and there's simply no way of knowing if any of them ended up in a shipping Android handset. But -- and this is a big but -- that's just the technical story. From a legal perspective, it seems very likely that these files create increased copyright liability for Google, because the state of our current copyright law doesn't make exceptions for how source code trees work, or whether or not a script pasted in a different license, or whether these files made it into handsets. The single most relevant legal question is whether or not copying and distributing these files was authorized by Oracle, and the answer clearly appears to be "nope" -- even if Oracle licensed the code under the GPL. Why? Because somewhere along the line, Google took Oracle's code, replaced the GPL language with the incompatible Apache Open Source License, and distributed the code under that license publicly. That's all it takes -- if Google violated the GPL by changing the license, it also infringed Oracle's underlying copyright. It doesn't matter if a Google employee, a script, a robot, or Eric Schmidt's cat made the change -- once you've created or distributed an unauthorized copy, you're liable for infringement.*

Why does this matter? Because we're hearing that Oracle is dead-set on winning this case and eventually extracting a per-handset royalty on every Android handset shipped. In that context, "those files aren't important!" isn't a winning or persuasive argument -- and the more these little infringements add up, the worse things look for Google. Whether or not these files are a "smoking gun" isn't the issue -- it's whether Android infringes Oracle's patents and copyrights, since the consequences either way will be monumental and far-reaching. Ultimately, though, the only person who can resolve all of this for certain is a judge -- and it's going to take a lot more time and research to get there.

--
*They're not directly comparable, but think about the Psystar case for a second. Even though Psystar desperately wanted to argue that Apple's OS X license agreement was invalid, the judge never got there -- he simply ruled Psystar wasn't authorized to copy and distribute OS X, and swung the hammer. It really is that simple sometimes.

Android source code, Java, and copyright infringement: what's going on? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple pulls VLC from the iTunes store

Sean Hollister — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:39:00 EST

Looks like VLC's role as champion of open-source legal rights is no more -- rather than lawyer up, Apple's taken the easy way out, and simply removed the VLC media player from the App Store. Rémi Denis-Courmont -- the VideoLAN developer who originally sued to have it removed -- reports that an Apple attorney informed him that the company had complied with his takedown request, and pulled the app accordingly, which likely puts the kibosh on other potential VLC ports as well. If you think about it, the open-source community may have just planted the first brick in a walled garden of its own.

Apple pulls VLC from the iTunes store originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Jan 2011 13:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VLC for iPhone and iPad may disappear thanks to GPL complaints -- go get it now

Nilay Patel — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:48:00 EST

There's always been tension between Apple's tight control of the iOS App Store and the DRM-free license requirements of the GPL, and it seems like things are coming to a head over VLC, the open-source video player. As you'll recall, VLC was just released for the iPad and iPhone in the past few months, but the port was done by a company called Applidium -- not VLC developer VideoLAN, which holds the copyright and licenses the code under the GPL. VideoLAN now says that since VLC for iOS includes Apple's FairPlay DRM, it's in violation of the GPL and must be pulled -- and that "concerned users are advised to look for applications on more open mobile platforms for the time being." That's certainly fair enough, although we do find it a bit sensationalist that the takedown notice was sent to Apple and not Applidium, since it's technically Applidium that violated the GPL. Then again, the statement was written by VideoLAN developer Rémi Deni-Courmont, who is also senior MeeGo software engineer, so we can see why he'd be interested in promoting a "more open" project. Whatever the case, it doesn't seem like VLC for iOS is long for this world -- you'd best go grab it as quickly as possible. Like, now.

Update: It seems like there's significant dissension in the VideoLAN ranks, as the project's official Twitter page now says there are no problems and is linking to another forum post with some armchair legal analysis of Apple's App Store Terms and Conditions. That sounds like we're in for months of arguing, since huge GPL projects like VLC have layers upon layers of nested copyrights, and no one person can really pursue action without the consent of everyone else, but we'll keep an eye on things. In the meantime, we'd suggest VideoLAN find a lawyer or two to give them a definitive answer on the GPL / App Store question -- it'll save everyone a lot of time and frustration.

VLC for iPhone and iPad may disappear thanks to GPL complaints -- go get it now originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 13:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google responds to Oracle's Android patent lawsuit, we break it down

Nilay Patel — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:33:00 EST

It's been just over a month and a half since Oracle first sued Google for infringing various Java-related patents in Android, and the big G's just filed its official response to the lawsuit after calling it "baseless." For the most part, it's a pretty standard answer to a patent complaint: Google says Android doesn't infringe any of Oracle's patents, and even if it does, those patents are invalid and / or unenforceable for a variety of reasons anyway, so, you know, shove it. That's basically all Google -- or any patent defendant -- needs to say in the answer, and if that was it, we'd just note it and move on with our lives. But we were struck by the factual background section, which reads to us like Google's geared up for war: it basically accuses Sun and Oracle of not playing fair when it comes to Java's open-source license situation and directly implies that parts of Android are based on code that might require a patent license. It's a little wonky, but let's break it down:

Continue reading Google responds to Oracle's Android patent lawsuit, we break it down

Google responds to Oracle's Android patent lawsuit, we break it down originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mozilla bundles WebM support into nightly Firefox builds

Vlad Savov — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:26:00 EST

Google's new web video standard seems to be gathering a bit of momentum, as today Firefox is following in the ultrafast steps of Chrome by offering built-in support for WebM video. Bugs are still being worked out, but the fundamentals are there, and we'll hopefully see all kinks ironed out in time for the release of Firefox 4 Beta, which is expected to land later this month. This is now the third big browser to announce compatibility, with Microsoft already promising it for IE 9, provided users download the necessary VP8 codec first. The HTML5-obsessed Apple hasn't yet decided which way it's going with the standard while Opera is presumably busy figuring out how to parody the whole thing in video form.

Mozilla bundles WebM support into nightly Firefox builds originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC pulls wraps off Droid Eris' kernel source

Chris Ziegler — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:44:00 EST

They knew this day was coming, but still, we can't help but feel like there must be some higher-ups at Verizon that are squirming today at the knowledge that the innermost workings of one of their highest-profile smartphones -- the Droid Eris -- are now available to anyone willing to invest the couple minutes that the package takes to download. This should give hackers some more elbow room to cook custom ROMs for Verizon's remix of the Hero -- and if they can beat an official Android 2.1 release for the phone by even a single day, that sounds like a win in our book.

HTC pulls wraps off Droid Eris' kernel source originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Swarm robot project sounds ominous, uses open source

Vlad Savov — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST

Why would you want to build a 100-strong swarm of mini robots? Well, aside from having them as your minions, you might be able to learn about "artificial self-organization," and "control in large robotic groups," which should come in useful during the inevitable robot insurrection. The swarm robot project, undertaken by the Universities of Stuttgart and Karlsruhe in Germany, aims to produce mini drones that can communicate with one another to avoid collisions, while keeping to a volume of less than three centimeters cubed. Built using open source software and hardware (full list of components is available under the GPL), the latest prototype, titled Jasmine III, achieves those goals while also being able to run "perpetually" thanks to a wireless charging platform. You can see it in close-up after the break, or hit the read link for all the geeky details.

Continue reading Swarm robot project sounds ominous, uses open source

Filed under: Robots

Swarm robot project sounds ominous, uses open source originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon puts code where its mouth is: releases Kindle source to the world

Paul Miller — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:44:00 EST

Well, here's a nice start to what Jeff Bezos was saying about giving the Kindle reader team some competition: Amazon just released source code for all its Kindle devices. It's fairly basic Linux underneath (kernel 2.6.22 on the latest 2.1 software), but obviously includes E Ink drivers and other relevant hardware support. What's unclear without compiling one of these and booting it up (to our untrained eyes, anyway) is whether Amazon stripped out its various DRM and licensed codec support -- MP3 and Audible seem very likely candidates for explosion, even if turns out Amazon did leave in its own Kindle Book DRM. We're also lacking an actual specific license for the code, though the folder we unpacked the OS to is called "gplrelease," so hopefully we're looking at the GNU General Public License -- which would mean manufacturers can take and repurpose this code to build their own Kindle clone / destroyer / gentle homage.

Filed under: Handhelds

Amazon puts code where its mouth is: releases Kindle source to the world originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku serves up Netflix Player source code

Darren Murph — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:28:00 EST

Hope you're not too sleepy, you hacker you, 'cause we've got a juicy one coming your way. No sooner did we find that the Netflix Player would be streaming content from other players in the industry later this year than Roku opens up the source code vault. You heard right -- the GPL code has now been posted for the world to see, meaning that there's just one link standing between you and umpteen delicious tarballs. Mmm, tarballs.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

Filed under: Misc, Other hardware, Set-top boxes

Roku serves up Netflix Player source code originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roku serves up Netflix Player source code

Darren Murph — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:28:00 EST

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Roku serves up Netflix Player source code originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon sued over GPL code in FiOS routers

Nilay Patel — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:31:00 EST

Uh-oh, it looks like Verizon's been too busy ramping up speeds on its FiOS network to mind a little thing called the GPL -- the company has just been sued for using a GPL'd app called BusyBox in its FiOS routers but not providing the source code. BusyBox is a bundle of utilities used in embedded Linux applications, and the authors have been pretty vigilant in policing GPL-compliance in distributions that include it -- they've sued two other companies that have shipped devices with BusyBox, and gotten settlements both times. We're not sure what Verizon is doing with BusyBox on its routers or why it hasn't released the source, but expect this one to reach a resolution rather quickly.

Disclaimer: Although this post was written by an attorney, it is not meant as legal advice or analysis and should not be taken as such.

Filed under: Networking

Verizon sued over GPL code in FiOS routers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Asus clarifies Eee PC GPL issues, says omission was a mistake

Nilay Patel — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:09:00 EST

We never really assumed foul play by Asus when it was discovered that the Eee's Linux source package was missing the ACPI module, especially after Asus released it with little fanfare soon after it was first noticed -- and now the company has released a statement formally calling the omission a mistake. Asus also said it's working to publish all the Eee's source in the appropriate forums, and that it intends to respect "the spirit of the GPL." Which is great and all, but considering how much time Asus had to sort this out, you'd think they'd have their ducks in a row.

[Via TG Daily]

Filed under: Laptops

Asus clarifies Eee PC GPL issues, says omission was a mistake originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Does the Asus EeePC violate the Linux GPL?

Conrad Quilty-Harper — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:46:00 EST

A group of Linux users have spoken out against Asus and their apparent non-compliance with certain aspects of the General Public License attached to Xandros Linux distro that comes with the Eee PC. This flustered controversy centers around Asus modifying a module of the Linux kernel without distributing the source code, something that breaks the rules of the license. Your average Eee PC owner isn't going to give a damn about such a trivial point, so end users can safely ignore this debate. As for whether Asus will step up and do what it should have done from day one, that'll depend on how loud the developers involved make their case. Type harder guys!

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Laptops

Does the Asus EeePC violate the Linux GPL? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hava-maker Monsoon slapped with first GPL lawsuit

Donald Melanson — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:39:00 EST

It looks like the open source community is about to head into some uncharted waters, with the first GPL-related lawsuit in the US now headed to court. At the center of this particular brouhaha is Hava-maker Monsoon Multimedia, who is being sued by the Software Freedom Law Center for alleged violations of the GNU General Public License (GPL). In particular, the SFLC says that Monsoon licensed the BusyBox software for embedded applications from its clients, yet failed to provide the underlying source code to its products in return, which is required under the GPLv2. Adding a bit more interest to the case, as Linux-Watch points out, is the fact that Monsoon is headed by a "highly experienced" lawyer named Graham Radstone, who apparently previously held the top legal spot at an unnamed "$1 billion private multinational company." For its part, the SFLC is seeking an injunction against Monsoon, and is asking for damages and litigation costs to be awarded to the plaintiffs.

[Via Slashdot]

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Hava-maker Monsoon slapped with first GPL lawsuit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2007 11:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Trolltech gets cozy with OpenMoko, ports platform to Neo1973

Chris Ziegler — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:40:00 EST

Trolltech and OpenMoko are pretty much the two patron saints of open source phoning at the moment -- and seeing how it's a nascent market (to say the least), hooking up is probably the right move to make. Trolltech, maker of that crazy green (and aptly named) Greenphone, has ported its Qtopia Phone Edition software stack to OpenMoko's hardware, giving hackers tooling around with their Neo1973s another platform with which to play. Concurrently with the announcement, Trolltech has revealed that its entire Qtopia reference platform is now available under version 2 of the GPL; previously, parts of the package were only available under a commercial license, so this is a pretty big win for the open source community. Whether this all translates to a better experience once the Neo1973 moves from developer platform to retail device remains unclear, but it certainly can't hurt -- and it might mark the passing of the open source torch from the Greenphone to OpenMoko's efforts.

[Via MobileBurn]

Filed under: Software, Linux

Trolltech gets cozy with OpenMoko, ports platform to Neo1973 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft says it's not bound by GPL v3

Nilay Patel — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 08:05:00 EST

It's been a week since version 3 of the GPL was released, and the ripple effect is starting to make some pretty big waves: Microsoft -- which has been essentially selling Novell's SUSE Linux since last year -- released a terse statement today claiming that neither it nor its customers are parties to any terms of the revised license. Furthermore, "to avoid any doubt or legal debate on this issue," Microsoft will decline to support any GPL v3 code that might be distributed with SUSE. Microsoft does have a point: since Linux remains under GPL v2 (and probably will for the foreseeable future), there's very little binding them to the terms of GPL v3 -- specifically, the patent protection terms that would essentially undo the major element of the whole MS / Novell agreement. How the inclusion of GPL v3 code with SUSE affects the overall license is another matter entirely -- one that will result in a lot of legal chest-pounding until the GPL finally gets tested in an American court.

Disclaimer: While the author of this post is a copyright attorney, its contents are not meant to constitute legal advice or analysis.

[Via CNET]

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops

Microsoft says it's not bound by GPL v3 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Jul 2007 08:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Free Software Foundation releases version 3 of the GPL

Nilay Patel — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:43:00 EST

Although June 29, 2007 will probably be most remembered for the release of some cellphone, another release that will hugely affect the tech community went out on that fateful Friday -- version three of the GNU General Public License was officially released, revising the terms that govern the use and distribution of many open-source projects, including Linux. A major goal of the revisions was to prevent the use of free code in closed devices (known charmingly as "tivoization"), drawing criticism from Linus Torvalds, Tivo (naturally), and others, but the Free Software Foundation maintains that the changes will be beneficial to end users. We're all for device makers opening up their boxes, but we're not sure forcing them to do so via license restrictions is the way to do it -- we'll see how this plays out in the future.

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Free Software Foundation releases version 3 of the GPL originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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

Paul Miller — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:20:00 EST

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

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc. Gadgets, Wireless, Networking

Cisco fesses up to iPhone WIP300 GPL failings, is "taking steps" originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Jan 2007 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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