FSF Sues Cisco for GPL Violations

Dec 12, 2008

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.

Related content

  • FSF Settles with Cisco over Licensing

    In December 2008, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) filed a lawsuit against network giant Cisco, claiming that its subsidiary Linksys had multiple violations of the GPL. The two parties have now reached an agreement.

    more »
  • SFLC Files Lawsuit Against 14 Companies for GPL Violations

    Attorneys at the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) have filed a lawsuit against 14 electronics companies for copyright infringements. The suit accuses the companies of selling products containing BusyBox software in violation of the GPL.

    more »
  • Microsoft vs. TomTom: It Ain't Over 'Til It’s Over

    The patent war between Microsoft and TomTom may be resolved in court, but it hasn't ended. At least that's what the lawyers at the Software Freedom Law Center think, and Jim Zemlin of the Linux Foundation is further considering the implications.

    more »
  • Meet Free Software Pioneer Eben Moglen

    Few have had a closer view of the Free Software revolution than Eben Moglen, former lead counsel for the Free Software Foundation and founder of the Software Freedom Law Center. We asked Moglen about the legal basis for the GPL's famous copyleft protection and the long, steady effort to tell the world about the benefits of free software.

    more »
  • TomTom Fires Back in Microsoft Patent War

    Navigation software maker TomTom is now beating its drums against Microsoft for patent rights and has aligned with the Open Invention Network.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus

Issue 41: Linux Shell Handbook 2021 Edition/Special Editions

Buy this issue as a PDF

Digital Issue: Price $15.99
(incl. VAT)

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Linux Pro Magazine Mobile Programming Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source