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
-
Latest Cinnamon Desktop Releases with a Bold New Look
Just in time for the holidays, the developer of the Cinnamon desktop has shipped a new release to help spice up your eggnog with new features and a new look.
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.
-
Gnome OS Transitioning Toward a General-Purpose Distro
If you're looking for the perfectly vanilla take on the Gnome desktop, Gnome OS might be for you.