This is an editorial about file conversions. It starts with a story about Free Software Magazine and our struggle with article formats, and continues explaining why the world needs to get rid of Office Open XML, which could create more problems than the Microsoft monopoly itself.
Read more »
I wouldn't steal
http://www.iwouldntsteal.net –
Whenever you rent a movie, the multinational media industry forces you to watch their propaganda. They claim that downloading movies is the same as snatching bags, stealing cars or shoplifting. That’s simply not true – making a copy is fundamentally different from stealing.
Read more »
- Login to post comments
What does "the Program" mean in GPLv3?
http://www.gnu.org –
In version 3 of the GNU General Public License (GPLv3), the term "the Program" means one particular work that is licensed under GPLv3 and is received by a particular licensee from an upstream licensor or distributor. The Program is the particular work of software that you received in a given instance of GPLv3 licensing, as you received it.
"The Program" cannot mean "all the works ever licensed under GPLv3"; that interpretation makes no sense, because "the Program" is singular: those many different programs do not constitute one program.
In particular, this applies to the clause in section 10, paragraph 3 of GPLv3 which states
Read more »
Category: Legal Tags:
SFLC Provides Ongoing GPLv3 Legal Support to FSF
http://www.softwarefreedom.org –
"Earlier this week, the Free Software Foundation (FSF) released a document that explains and clarifies the meaning of the term “Program” in the GNU General Public License, version 3 (GPLv3). This document is an outcome of an ongoing collaboration between SFLC and the FSF..."
Read more »
Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
Trolltech Qt To Be Licensed Under GPLv3
http://www.phoronix.com –
"Breaking from the KDE 4.0 release event right now is word that Trolltech will be releasing Qt to be released under the GPLv3 license. An official announcement will be made by Trolltech regarding this GPLv2 to GPLv3 license update on Monday, January 21, 2008..."
Read more »Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
Free Art License
http://artlibre.org –
"With this Free Art License, you are authorised to copy, distribute and freely transform the work of art while respecting the rights of the originator..."
Read more »Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
Open Document Format Alliance Refutes the Burton Group Report on ODF
http://www.groklaw.net –
The Open Document Format Alliance has released a paper [PDF] refuting the recent Burton Group's Report on ODF and MSOOXML. I asked for and received permission to publish it here on Groklaw. The ODF Alliance response takes 18 points from the Burton Group's Report and answers them point by point. I think you will enjoy it. And I have a few impressions of my own to share with you, and then you can tell me what you think of it all.
Read more »
Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
The Creative Commons CC0 project
http://lwn.net –
CC0 is a Creative Commons project designed to promote and protect the public domain by 1) enabling authors to easily waive their copyrights in particular works and to communicate that waiver to others, and 2) providing a means by which any person can assert that there are no copyrights in a particular work, in a way that allows others to judge the reliability of that assertion.
Read more »
- Login to post comments
The Microsoft OOXML Spin Factory Reaches Full Production Mode (Updatedx2)
http://boycottnovell.com –
Several people, including Rob Weir (just yesterday in fact), said this was coming. The Propaganda Machine is hard at work and it will have you believe that OOXML is the Second Coming. You might be wondering what are we talking about. Where does one even begin? There is is a DDOS of disinformation at the moment.
Read more »Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
New Study Examines Microsoft ISO Votes
http://press.digistan.org –
Poorer countries more likely to vote for Microsoft format, says a new study from the Digital Standards Organization.
Read more »
- Login to post comments
EU launches new probes against Microsoft
http://www.reuters.com –
The European Commission, fresh from a major court victory over Microsoft, launched new antitrust investigations into the software giant on Monday, on suspicion it abused its market dominance.
Read more »
Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
You are Here
http://www.robweir.com –
Within the next 24-hours, Microsoft will submit to JTC1 a set of proposals for addressing the 3,522 comments that accompanied OOXML's failed ballot last September. We'll no doubt hear a lot of yip-yip-yahooing on their end. Expect a major media campaign. I don't want to take away the surprise, but I'm hearing that journalists are being flown into Redmond next week from around the world for briefings on OOXML. So, for their benefit, and yours, let's review where we are in the JTC1 process.
Read more »- Login to post comments
Two Views of Innovation, Colliding in Washington
http://www.nytimes.com –
AS the Senate prepares to tinker with the nation’s patent laws this spring, it’s worth recalling the law of unintended consequences.
Read more »Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
DRM Is Dead, But Watermarks Rise From Its Ashes
http://www.wired.com –
With all of the Big Four record labels now jettisoning digital rights management, music fans have every reason to rejoice. But consumer advocates are singing a note of caution, as the music industry experiments with digital-watermarking technology as a DRM substitute.
Read more »Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
Dispelling Myths Around ODF
http://blogs.sun.com –
Recent articles, reports and documents show that there are still a lot of misperceptions regarding ODF in the market. Apparently, many people are still not well informed about ODF even though they choose to write about ODF. Therefore, I thought it can't hurt trying to dispel a couple of myths around ODF.
Read more »Category: Legal Tags:
- Login to post comments
