Free Software Licensing¶

OpenLogic found that 66 out of 635 mobile apps it scanned contained Apache or GPL/LGPL licensed code and debate arises (again) whether Free Software licenses are compatible with app markets. Personally I think it depends on how the market and the person/company who put the app on it handles Free Software. Again, personally, I feel that app markets in general and Free Software are not incompatible per se.

Marketwire: OpenLogic Scan Shows Open Source License Violations for iPhone and Android
CrunchGear: Potential Open Source License Violations In Android and iOS Apps?

Simon Phipps evaluates just how open and free the governance of some of the free software project foundations and companies are (on a scale of -10 to 10). OpenJDK (-3) scores very low, LibreOffice (5) and Mozilla (6) are better, Eclipse (8) and GNOME (8) can already be pretty proud with their scores, but so far only the Apache Foundation scores a perfect 10. More such evaluations to come.

Bradley M. Kuhn: Does “Open Core” Actually Differ from Proprietary Relicensing?

My GNU Linux: Cloud Computing (SaaS) Licenses – Is AGPL the solution?

Bradley M. Kuhn: Thoughts On GPL Compliance of Red Hat's Linux Distribution

ZDnet: Microsoft to allow Eclipse, Mozilla licences for WP7 apps

Software Tech News: Open Source Software Is Commercial

Free Software Business¶

Nokia has anointed Sebastian Nyström as the new head for its Meego OS despite the recent announcement it's moving to Windows-based mobile OS development.

the Inquirer: Nokia announces another chief for Meego

Nokia has announced that it is selling the commercial licensing and professional services arm of its Qt group to Digia, a Finnish services and software company. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nokia plans to retain all the core development, and copyright, of the Qt framework and continue development, but the business of selling Qt under its commercial licence and supporting those customers will be transferred to Digia. The most pressing open question now is, since Nokia is ditching MeeGo (and Symbian), does it have any interest in Qt anymore and what will happen to Qt – will it remain free software or will KDE have to play its trump.

Bloomberg Businessweek: Microsoft Is Said to Pay Nokia More Than $1 Billion in Deal

Cherokee – a small and fast free software webserver – has opened its webapp store. On it users can with no fuss install and update (free software) web applications like Drupal, WordPress and Redmine directly from Cherokee’s webGUI. I think that’s a great idea and hope it’ll be done right!

Cherokee Market

TG Daily: Open source safest for healthcare IT, study claims

ReadWriteWeb: Jolicloud Becomes Joli OS, Announces Cross-Platform Apps

the Next Web: HTC reportedly secures 1 million orders for HTC Flyer

Software Patents¶

Fast Company: Patent Director: “Patent Filings Do not Equal Innovation,” U.S. Needs New Measure

While the ECJ ruled that a pan-EU community patent system would be against EU law, 25 of 27 EU member states are planning a new patent agreement. For a short summary of the ruling, read IPKat’s and/or April’s post.

Ars Technica: Patent trolls fatten up on vaguely worded patents

Copyright and Other Legal Act Reforms¶

the Inquirer: FTC recommends patent reform

A recent leak reveals that USA wants to achieve in TPP everything that it failed to do in ACTA.

With the new consumer rights laws the EU wants to explicitly define digital goods (including software) as plain goods, giving the user the right to own the copy (and not just lease it) and thus effectively making the EULA ineffective. BSA is of course lobbying against this.

OS News: Software Industry Lobbies Against EU Consumer Rights Laws

TechnoLlama: WIPO and the future of copyright

Open Rights Group: Copyright Reform is Needed in UK: Letter to the Telegraph

IPTegrity: Should the European Court review ACTA?

European Commissioner Neelie Kroes called for a change in approach on copyright and orphan works to foster bringing more cultural content online.

Europa: Neelie Kroes Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda Addressing the orphan works challenge IFRRO (The International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations) launch of ARROW+ (Accessible Registries of Rights Information and Orphan Works towards Europeana) Brussels, 10 March 2011

EDRI: Avalanche Of Intellectual Property Initiatives On The Way In EU

EDRI: Sustainable Models For Creativity In The Digital Age

OpenSource.com: Myths and [US] patent reform

Government and Free Software Policies¶

The European Commission's Directorate General for Information Society and Media (DG Infso) wants to write guidelines to help improve public procurement to reduce vendor lock-in and to increase competition. The deadline for submission of proposals is 15 April.

OSOR: EC wants to improve procurement to avoid vendor lock-in

Don’t let anyone tell you, you need expensive proprietary software to make music. The Musical Studies Department of the Ionian University in Corfu has recently taken the initiative to become the first ever Public Organization and educational Institution in Greece that officially embraces Free Software in its infrastructure.