FSF Sues Cisco for GPL Violations
The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has filed a lawsuit for the Free Software Foundation (FSF) against network giant Cisco Systems.
The claim: Cisco is distributing a number of GPL-licensed products under the Linksys brand without providing its source code to users. Some of the products are also licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL).
Among the licensed programs are GNU C Library, GNU Coreutils, GNU Readine, GNU Parted, GNU Wget, GNU Compiler Collection, GNU Binutils and the GNU Debugger.
The Boston-based SFLC filed the action in New York district court. A copy of the entire complaint, including full text of the 1999 GPL and LGPL, is in PDF. The FSF is seeking an injunction against, and payment of damages from, the California company.
The lawsuit is a first for the FSF, says its executive director Peter Brown. "In the fifteen years we've spent enforcing our licenses, we've never gone to court before." An announcement from the foundation provides further details about the FSF vs. Cisco case.
Issue 172/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Old Vulnerabilities Are Kept Alive Through Bad Configuration
HP's annual Cyber Risk report offers a bleak look at the state of IT.
-
Linus Torvalds Announces Linux 4.0
But what do the big numbers really mean?
-
Microsoft Frees CoreCLR
.NET Core execution engine is the basis for cross-platform .NET implementations.
-
New Trojan Attacks Linux Servers
The Xnote trojan hides itself on the target system and will launch a variety of attacks on command.
-
Cisco Releases Annual Security Report
Spammers go low-volume, and 90% of IE browsers are unpatched.
-
Zero Day Exploits Target Flash
Adobe scrambles to release patches for vulnerable Flash Player.
-
Intel Unveils Compute Stick
Four-inch-long computer on a stick lets you boot a full Linux system from any HDMI display device.
-
Obama Proposes Personal Data Notification Law
New statute would require companies to report break-ins to consumers.
-
TGXf Project Warns of File Transfer through Screen Pixels
Weird data transfer technique avoids all standard security measures.
-
Industry Giants Announce a Fix for the Password Mess
FIDO alliance declares the beginning of the end for old-style login authentication.