Free Software Licensing

OSOR: Company allows GPLv3'ed Javascript libraries to be distributed as EUPL

the Register: Google open source guru: 'Why we ban the AGPL'

A short and good example of the licensing problems of Java (and GPLv2). The author explains the TCK trap and concludes that by forking OpenJDK you would either infringe on patents (which are not granted to you by GPLv2) or by safe-guarding yourself and your users from patent infringement, violate GPLv2.

OpenSource.com: Creative Commons plaintext licenses and using CC0 for software

Free Software Business

SAP Community Network: The role of Open Source in SAP's Technology Strategy

ZDnet: Yahoo: The Linux Company

Bits or Pieces?: Open source as a tactical weapon, VMware's latest move.

LinuxDevices.com: TI launches open source project supporting its wireless chips

Interesting analysis why Symbian's community has not evolved and flourished as e.g. Eclipse's or KDE's have.

Additional to that Nokia seems to have just closed Symbian and admits it is not Free Sofware anymore.

Several theories arise how Red Hat was able to raise 1 giga USD.

the Inquirer: Android to rule nearly half of smartphone market by end of 2012

Last month many – including major Android stakeholders, including LG, Samsung and Toshiba – have heavily criticised Google's decision to keep the code of Android, version Honeycomb, closed. Now that Android's chief has responded to those critiques, Ars Technica thinks he is missing the point.

With Oracle's recent press release that it will stop the commercial fork of OpenOffice.org, stop dual-licensing and leave it all to the community, some questions arise of what that really means. There is an argument that it is just basically giving up due to the fact that most of the community has forked to LibreOffice. Let's wait and see what will come out of this – will Oracle transfer the OOo trade mark to the LibreOffice community, will the two merge, will they compete?

Software Patents

StormDriver: Start-ups in the maze of software patents

Glyn Moody analyses the latest Microsoft's patent litigation battle against Android and puts it into MS' historic background.

IP Dragon: Patents in China: Quantity Obsessed Quality Challenged

paidContent: RIM Signs On With Intellectual Ventures For Its Patent Portfolio

Groklaw: Oral Argument in Microsoft v. i4i at US Supreme Court Today – Why FOSS Cares

OpenSource.com: [US] Patent reform bills with little reform

Ars Technica: Priceline founder files 15 patent suits against Google, Apple, and others

the Inquirer: Nokia files another ITC complaint against Apple

Google tries to acquire Nortel's patent portfolio and at the same time calls for a a "real patent reform".

the Inquirer: RIM gets its hands on 30,000 patents

the Inquirer: US firm sues Nokia, Apple, RIM, Sony, Motorola, HTC, a total of 32 technology companies over patents

Copyright and Other Legal Act Reforms

Another copyright term extension is brewing (in EU). Personally I think it's the wrong idea, and it seems I'm not the only one.

TPP Watch: Petition Seeks Parliamentary Hearing on Trans-Pacific Partnership Pact

Online outrage arises that controversially the former Deputy General Counsel and Director of Legal Policy and Regulatory Affairs at IFPI [International Federation of the Phonographic Industry] Maria Martin-Prat is said to succeed Tilman Lueder as head of Directorate unit D1 at the European Commission, responsible for copyright policy.

IP Policy Committee blog: Comments on EC report on IPR enforcement

Freedom to Tinker: A Legacy at Risk: How the new Ministry of Culture in Brazil reversed its digital agenda

Michael Geist: India Will Not Accept IP Talks Outside of WTO

Government and Free Software Policies

UK Government has a new ICT strategy, that seems to finally take Free Software and open standards more seriously.

OSOR: PT: Open standards become prerequisite for government IT

OSOR: DK: Political agreement reached on Open standards

OSOR: ES: Asturias region adopts open source technology for local government

OSOR: FR: Space agency to use Apache Commons Math

OSOR: MEPs want Commission to disclose details of proprietary software deal

OSOR: FR: 282 candidates during 2011 cantonal elections sign formal free software agreement thanks to ‘Candidats.fr’ initiative

OSOR: DE: Parliamentarians ask government to support free software

Open Standards

Document Freedom Day has just finished and shortly thereafter some quite nice news arise from both governments (see above) and standardisation (see just below).

ODF [Open Document Format] version 1.2 is finished and approved as Committee Specification. Next step is that OASIS approves as the new version of the standard; and after that the update of the ISO/IEC 26300 international standard. ODF 1.2 includes additional accessibility features, RDF-based metadata, a spreadsheet formula specification based on OpenFormula, support for digital signatures and some features suggested by the public.

Other interesting links

Some might have heard it already … Now that the battle against SCO is already over, Groklaw will stop publishing new articles on 16. V. 2011. Needless to say, this is a great loss and PJ's and the rest of the team's work will be missed.

SCRIPTed: The Path Dependence of European Copyright

Red Hat develops Ceylon – a new programming language that might replace Java in the enterprise environment.

Ars Technica: Judge to copyright troll: your "business model" isn't my problem

TechDirt: Statutory Damages In Copyright Law Make It More Appealing To Sue Than To Innovate

Glyn Moody writes about the catch-22 absurdity of the Swiss court decision that a Microsoft-only public tender was OK, since they didn't know about any competition.

TechDirt: Discussions About Scarcity vs. Abundance In Copyright From A Century Ago Sound Just Like Those Today

Neelie Kroes: The need for open markets for ICT

Wild Webmink: ☆ Balancing Transparency and Privacy

EDRi: EDRi evaluation of data retention shows it has significant costs but no benefits

Some interesting topics in this month's EDRiGram: Czech Constitutional Court rejects data retention legislation; EDRi responds to IPR Enforcement consultation; EDPS criticizes the EU PNR scheme; Ten Internet Rights & Principles for Human Rights and Social Justice; Judicial Review of the Digital Economy Act; German Internet blocking law to be withdrawn.

OSI: OSI Board Members, Officers and Committee Chairs for 2011-2012

IP Justice: IP Justice Statement on ICANN’s Responsibility to Respect Human Rights

Falkvinge on Infopolicy: European Court of Justice To Outlaw Internet Filtering; Esp. For Copyright Enforcement

the Inquirer: Microsoft files a competition complaint against Google with the EC

the Inquirer: Google plays down Microsoft's antitrust complaint

the Inquirer: EU Parliament decides to open up radio spectrum for free use

hook out → finally finished with this edition!


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