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January 22, 2007

legal

What’s GNU with Cisco’s iPhone?

Posted Jan. 22, ’07, 8:04 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Legal

GPLCisco, you wascally wabbit. Last week, open source developers accused the networking giant of violating the licensing terms of GNU General Public License (GPL) by using Linux on one of their products without distributing the source code changes it made. That product? A hint: it rhymes with blyStone.

This morning Cisco said that they would take steps to resolve the issue, which they contended was an isolated case. However, the researcher who discovered the problem, Armijn Hemel, who works for the GPL Violations Project, says that there are other issues as well.

Does this have any effect in the ongoing trademark dispute between Cisco and Apple over the blyStone name? We’re going to go with a hearty not so much. Unless you consider the irony of Cisco suing Apple for trademark infringement while simultaneously failing to comply with their licensing relevant. We prefer to consider it merely humorous instead.


2 Comments

E.T.Cook Author Profile Page said:

Except the fact that Apple's violations are far more visible and blatant.

You are comparing a licensing discrepency to an overt, contrived and premeditated copyright violation?

I know there is some controversy as to whether Cisco's hold on the copyright is still valid or not, but to market the product while still in discussions? That sir is the very same type of business practice that you would denounce from another company...Microsoft for example.

"Apologists and rationalizers unite. Apple needs the assistance of our zealotry."

January 22, 2007 9:21 AM
E.T.Cook Author Profile Page said:

BTW: I meant trademark not copyright. Apologies.

January 22, 2007 9:50 AM

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