It has always amazed me how many people pirate. As the well-known anti-piracy video clip says, “You wouldn’t steal a car, you wouldn’t steal a handbag,” but people do regularly steal software and other copyrighted materials. They seem to have an innate belief that software should be free.

The developers behind the Debian Linux distribution are preparing for the upcoming release of Debian 5, which is codenamed Lenny. The decision to move forward with the release follows a contentious vote over whether to permit the inclusion of binary blobs in the new version of the distribution.

"The GNU Project has two principal licenses to use for libraries. One is the GNU Lesser GPL; the other is the ordinary GNU GPL. The choice of license makes a big difference: using the Lesser GPL permits use of the library in proprietary programs; using the ordinary GPL for a library makes it available only for free programs.

The embattled SCO Group Inc. is proposing to auction off its core products and use proceeds to continue its controversial lawsuits over the alleged violations of its copyrights in Linux open-source software.

Yes, this is a 2009 headline. Who'd have thought? The SCO Group is back in the news with plans to auction off its core products so the proceeds can continue its lawsuits over alleged copyright violations in Linux. Is CEO Darl McBride mad?

Another case of Novell's software patents and more debate about their need (or lack thereof)

IBM announced today that it will increase the number of technical inventions it makes freely available to others by 50 per cent, and seek less patent protection for its inventions, in an effort to stimulate worldwide innovation and economic growth.