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.
- Wild Webmink: Is Apache Open-By-Rule?
- Wild Webmink: Is Mozilla Open-By-Rule?
- Wild Webmink: Is Eclipse Open-By-Rule?
- Wild Webmink: Is GNOME Open-By-Rule?
- Wild Webmink: Is LibreOffice Open-By-Rule?
- Wild Webmink: Rating OpenJDK Governance
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.
- the Qt Blog: Nokia and Digia working together to grow the Qt community
- Digia: Digia to acquire Qt commercial licensing business from Nokia
- Ars Technica: Future of Qt brighter after Digia buys licensing biz from Nokia
- Computer World UK: Nokia's Not-so-cute Qt Move
- the H Open: Nokia sells off commercial and services arm of Qt
- Engadget: Nokia sells Qt commercial licensing and services business to Digia ZDnet: Nokia: Transition to Windows Phone to take about two years
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!
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.
- Court of Justice of the European Union: Opinion delivered pursuant to Article 218(11) TFEU – Draft agreement – Creation of a unified patent litigation system – European and Community Patents Court – Compatibility of the draft agreement with the Treaties
- IPKat: When is a PC not PC? When it's a unified European one
- April: Analysis of the opinion from the European Court of Justice on the unified Patent Court
- the Register: EU ministers give approval to patent scheme
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.
- Michael Geist: U.S. Intellectual Property Demands for TPP Leak: Everything it Wanted in ACTA But Didn't Get
- Knowledge Ecology International: The complete Feb 10, 2011 text of the US proposal for the TPP IPR chapter
- Ars Technica: Son of ACTA: meet the next secret copyright treaty
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.
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.
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.
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.
OSOR: NL: “Moving to open source would save government one to four billion”
OSOR: France appoints CIO but takes interoperability off task list
OSOR: NO: Open source-based problem-reporting website launched nationwide
OSOR: IE: Computer Service Board switches to open source software
OSOR: UK: Opponents of open source criticise new procurement rules
Open Standards¶
Andy Updegrove and Glyn Moody analyse where BSA is wrong with its claim to the UK government that open standards stifle innovation. Interesting read!
- the Standards Blog: Do Royalty-Free Standards “Stifle Innovation?”
- Computer World UK: More Fun with Anti-Open Source FUD
Rob Weir: Best Practices for Authoring Interoperable ODF Documents
Other interesting links¶
Pop those corks! FSFE is 10 years old! :D
- FSFE: A decade of Freedom: FSFE turns 10
- the H Open: Ten years of the Free Software Foundation Europe
MIT Media Lab creates 40.000 new logos representing their employees that all follow the same algorithm. Interesting from the view of trade marks.
- the Xfund blog: MIT Media Lab, Logos and Trademarks
- the Next Web: MIT Media Labs’ new logo has 40,000 variations
the Inquirer: Google uses Android kill switch to control malware
TechDirt: Be Careful What You Wish For: Taiwan Using US Pressured Patent Laws Against US Companies
CNet: Governments press ICANN over new domain rules
Wild Webmink: …Crowdsourced is not Open Source
IP Watch: IP Enforcement Permeates ICANN, US Internet Policy
On March 29th-30th, NASA will host its first Open Source Summit.
Groklaw: The Sony PS3 Class File An Amended Complaint
hook out → off to kiss my beautiful girlfriend