FSF: GPLv3 Applies to Microsoft, Too
Anti-competitive behavior, and continued attacks on free software – these were the allegations that the Free Software Foundation levied at Microsoft, eight weeks after Microsoft's roundhouse swipe at GPL v3.
Shortly after the Free Software Foundation (FSF) released version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPL), Microsoft dissociated itself from it in early July in a public statement. This can be seen as Microsoft's attempt to absolve itself from any responsibilities with respect to GPL v3. After almost two months of silence, the FSF has now picked up the gauntlet: "Microsoft cannot declare itself exempt from the requirements of GPL v3", says the non-profit organization in a press release from August 28.
The kingpin is again the agreement between Microsoft and Novell dating back to November 2006. The FSS specifically criticizes the "discriminatory agreement", which states that no action for patent infringements will be taken against customers using Novell's Suse Linux distribution. Microsoft seems to have hoped that customers who were unsure of the legal implications would prefer to pay a fee to the distributor to avoid legal action. The FSF sees this as evidence that Microsoft is actually aiming to redefine free software as proprietary software. The NGO sees a pattern in the corporation's actions: "Though the details and timing were a surprise, it was no isolated incident; Microsoft has engaged in anticompetitive conduct in the software industry for many years, and has sought to attack free software for almost as long."
To counteract this, the Free Software Foundation has reworked Version 3 of the GNU General Public License once more. An additional clause will bind Microsoft to the provisions of GPL v3 whenever a customer receives software published under GPL v3 via a Microsoft agent. The NGO emphasizes that it will be making sure that Microsoft and its licensees respect the copyright and licensing conditions of GPL v3.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.