"Most Android vendors lost their Linux distribution rights"

Unknown-One

Unknown-One

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Mar 5, 2005
Messages
8,909
This doesn't sound good...
Last week I read about an Android licensing issue that I wasn't previously aware of. It's a pretty serious one, and it's not that hard to understand. The short version is that

- rampant non-compliance with the source code disclosure requirement of the GPLv2 (the license under which Linux is published) -- especially but not only in connection with Honeycomb -- has technically resulted in a loss of most vendors' right to distribute Linux;

- this loss of the distribution license is irremediable except through a new license from each and every contributor to the Linux kernel, without which Android can't run; and

- as a result, there are thousands of people out there who could legally shake down Android device makers, threatening to obtain Apple-style injunctions unless their demands for a new license grant are met.
Click to expand...

The full blog post is rather in-depth and well worth a read. You can find that here: http://fosspatents.blogspot.com/2011/08/most-android-vendors-lost-their-linux.html

As if there weren't already enough lawsuits and federal investigations being thrown at Google and their partners...
 
I'm getting to the point where whenever I see stuff like this I honestly wish I could just whip out some virtual hand and slap the shit out of all these idiots. Rodney King's immortal "Can't we all... just get along?" comes to mind, it really does.

This kind of crap just gets irritating. Surely I'm not alone in feeling that way, right?

Right?

I just read an article at ComputerWorld this morning about how Linux is taking Wall Street a little piece at a time because it's the only "kernel" capable of handling the pace and expansion of trading and stocks as things just get faster and faster. You can find that article here if you're so inclined, but now I have to wonder what kind of trouble would come up if some enterprising (and probably money grubbing, who knows) lawyer or law firm set its mind on reaming everyone and anyone that has anything to do with the licensing of Linux itself in any way, shape, or form.

Geez... when is enough enough?
 
Some of that article doesn't make sense. Android isn't under GPL. It's under Apache which is why Google doesn't have to release the Honeycomb source code.

Now of course the kernel is GPL and that's why HTC/Motorola/Samsung release the kernel source code. For example the Xoom kernel source code is out there. So far I've never heard of kernel source code NOT being released for an Android device. I will admit they're slower then dog shit when releasing the code. HTC claims they have 90 days after the device is released to release the source code to stay in compliance.

I also don't see anything in GPLv2 or GPLv3 that states you have to release the source code immediately. Maybe I'm just missing it?
 
Vermillion said:
HTC claims they have 90 days after the device is released to release the source code to stay in compliance.
Click to expand...
That's just silly. No part of GPL gives a 90 day leeway. Complete HTC invention. Maybe they ought to patent that idea!
 
If you provide a binary in a physical form (rules for "access to copy" distribution are slightly different) then you have to either supply the source code alongside the binary or supply a written offer of the source code (for non-commercial distribution this can be a copy of an offer you received with your copy of the code rather than an offer from you) alongside the binary. If you do neither of those then you have broken the license regardless of whether you release the source through other channels.

If you go down the "written offer" route there don't seem to be any rules on how quickly you have to fulfil requests under that written offer.
 
plugwash said:
If you go down the "written offer" route there don't seem to be any rules on how quickly you have to fulfil requests under that written offer.
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And then they mail you a copy of the source code in a font size small enough to fit it all on one 8.5"x11" piece of paper :p
 
Ugh florians blog again that guy spreads more bs that the midwest cattle farms produce...
 
Vermillion said:
HTC claims they have 90 days after the device is released to release the source code to stay in compliance.
Click to expand...
I've also heard it was legal to download video game ROMs as long as you delete the file after 24 hours.
 
asyork said:
And then they mail you a copy of the source code in a font size small enough to fit it all on one 8.5"x11" piece of paper :p
Click to expand...
That isn't allowed, the copy must be machine readable and on a medium customerally used for software interchange.
 
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