Re: Tom Tom and Microsofts Linux patent lock-down ..

[Hyman Rosen]

amicus_curious wrote:
> "When Verizon turns around and redistributes to customers, Verizon 
> has obligations."

If Verizon buys routers from Actiontec, it may freely ship them to
customers without any GPL obligations. The FSF and SFLC sometimes
make overly expansive statements about what the copyright law and
the GPL require.

> Now Actiontec is indeed publishing the GPL source, but they were never 
> sued either.

They are the manufacturer of Verizon's routers, and are therefore
best suited to carry out the GPL obligations involved. If Verizon
purchases the routers from them, Verizon may redistribute the routers
with no further obligation if Actiontec has made the GPLed sources
properly available to Verizon.

> OTOH, Verizon is not publishing anything, not even a mention of
> the GPL as existing

This is false. The Verizon-branded manual which ships with the
router contains a paragraph about the GPL, and the router ships
with a disk further explaining the GPL (and which may have source
code; the manual isn't clear).

<http://www.actiontec.com/support_cms/doc_files/MI424WR_Rev._E_User_Manual_20.8.0_v3.pdf>
    C.4 GPL (General Public License)
    This product includes software code developed by third parties,
    including software code subject to the enclosed GNU General Public
    License (GPL) or GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). The GPL
    Code and LGPL Code used in this product are distributed WITHOUT ANY
    WARRANTY and are subject to the copyrights of the authors, and to
    the terms of the applicable licenses included in the download. For
    details, see the GPL Code and LGPL Code for this product and the
    terms of the GPL and the LGPL, which are available on the enclosed
    product disk and can be accessed by inserting the disk into your
    CD-ROM drive and opening the “GPL.exe” file.

> and totally thumbed their noses at the SFLC

No, they settled and are now compliant with the GPL.

> Apparently Verizon no longer has any obligations.

They comply with the GPL. See above.

> And you call that a success?

Certainly. They comply with the GPL. See above.