[ale] Mixing GPL&proprietary, was Re: Weekend laugh - m$

[Transam]

On Sat, May 03, 2003 at 01:02:04PM -0400, tfreeman at intel.digichem.net wrote:
> On Fri, 2 May 2003, Jonathan Rickman wrote:


> > This brings an interesting question to light...

> > If Microsoft started stealing GPL'ed code and including it in Windows (a
> > few pieces at a time), effectively creating their own distro and violating
> > the GPL...how would we know? We can't review the source, and MD5 sigs and
> > the like would be circumstantial evidence at best. Barring a court order,
> > how do we *really* know that this isn't happening already?

Red Hat now asserts that companies may NOT redistribute their distribution
of Linux and that to do so is illegal.  To be precise, they assert that
anyone doing this commercially must remove display of their graphic logos
and mention of "Red Hat" or be guilty of trademark infringement.  Their
statement is buried deep within their web site (I dunno know where).

Can anyone speak with authority regarding this?

> Sorry I'm not going to take up the challenge. However, this is a special 
> case of a more general problem - how can you tell a given computer code 
> object is free from various IP encombrences(sp?)? If that question isn't 
> challenging enough, improve it by requiring low cost 8-).

> > Any takers?

Sure.  You can't.  If you goof you can get sued out of existance.

> > --
> > Jonathan Rickman
> > X Corps Security
> > http://www.xcorps.net

> =============================================
> If you think Education is expensive
> Try Ignorance
>                    Author Unknown
> ============================================

Bob Toxen
bob at verysecurelinux.com               [Please use for email to me]
http://www.verysecurelinux.com        [Network&Linux/Unix security consulting]
http://www.realworldlinuxsecurity.com [My book:"Real World Linux Security 2/e"]
Quality Linux & UNIX security and SysAdmin & software consulting since 1990.

"Microsoft: Unsafe at any clock speed!"
   -- Bob Toxen 10/03/2002
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