On Tue, March 29, 2005 7:15 am, linux-os said: > In the United States there is something called "restraint of trade". > Suppose there was a long-time facility or API that got replaced > with one that was highly restrictive. To use the new facility, one > would have to buy a license or kiss somebody or something that > was not previously required. If an action was brought against the > person(s) who replaced the old facility with the new one, it > is likely that the plaintiff would prevail. > > If there is documented proof that those symbols were previously > available and then they were changed to something more restrictive, > I think one would prevail if a complaint were brought in court. > > If course, you need to convince the person(s) who changed them > that the action was unconscionable and therefore force them to > change them back without making money for the lawyers by suing > them. And, yes, somebody who modifies software in that manner > can be sued. They could also be charged with criminal behavior > (malicious mischief) in the State of Massachusetts or charged > under federal law with restraint of trade. Modifying an existing > policy to further an individual's ambitions can be fraught > with consequences. >
What the hell is this world coming to? Can we please just respect the intent of the GPL and dispense with all this legalese crap; at least here on LKML? People who want a free ride and don't care about returning anything to the community that created Linux have many other forums in which to vent. Regards, Sean - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/
