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TomTom surrenders to Microsoft in patent fight

With TomTom unwilling to go beyond what is in Microsoft's press release, it seems pretty clear the company has surrendered to the company's patent demands. A TomTom spokesman confirmed to me just now that TomTom will not post a release on the settlement to its own Web...

Tags: Patent, TomTom, Microsoft Corp., Software Freedom Law Center, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2009-03-30

Open source patent law panhandling

TomTom lacks the financial resources to defend itself. Stand-alone GPS systems aren't that great a business, the real potential here being GPS as a technology platform, enabling other functions. All of which means that, if the SFLC chooses to make a fight of this they have to do more than...

Tags: TomTom, Software Freedom Law Center, Enderle, Linux, UNIX, Open Source, Operating Systems, GPS, Software, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2009-03-05

Just don't call it trolling, Verizon

The Software Freedom Law Center has sued Verizon on behalf of Busybox. Busybox wrote a Linux application, under the GPL, which Verizon used in a wireless router it provides users of its FIOS service, which promises faster speed in exchange for cutting users' copper and tieing them...

Tags: GPL, Router, Verizon Communications Inc., Software Freedom Law Center, SPLC, Routers & Switches, Network Technology, Networking, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2007-12-07

Mixing GPL and BSD code just takes care

The Software Freedom Law Center has released a set of guidelines for projects that need to mix BSD and GPL code. This follows a highly-publicized dispute over Atheros driver code for the Linux kernel, during which OpenBSD head Theo de Raadt and other OpenBSD leaders got, shall...

Tags: Developer, GPL, OpenBSD, BSD, Software Freedom Law Center, Raadt, Open Source, UNIX, Operating Systems, Software, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2007-09-28

GPL will get its day in court

The Software Freedom Law Center says it has filed the first ever U.S. copyright infringement lawsuit based on the GNU General Public License. The Software Freedom Law Center SLFC said Thursday it is filing the lawsuit (see complaint, statement and Techmeme) against Monsoon Multimedia on behalf of the...

Tags: Software, GPL, Complaint, Software Freedom Law Center, Open Source, Larry Dignan

Blog posts 2007-09-21

Open-source group wants educational patent reversed

The Software Freedom Law Center says the "junk patent" threatens open-source projects. The holder says it's willing to deal--but the group asks too much. A legal center is trying to overturn a patent it says threatens three open-source educational projects, a sign of the tension between patent holders and...

Tags: Software, Patent, Open Source, Software Freedom Law Center, Blackboard, Stephen Shankland

News items 2006-12-01

Photo: Eben Moglen, Software Freedom Law Center

We will de-mine patents from the world where it hurts the ability to innovate. --Eben Moglen, Columbia Law School professor and founder of the Software Freedom Law Center, speaking at LinuxWorldNews: Stephen Shankland interviews Moglen about GPL3 first public draft due early 2006

Tags: Software Freedom Law Center, Eben Moglen

Blog posts 2005-08-09

Additional Resources

TomTom chooses a moderate limited hang out route

Rather than seek to have Microsoft's patents invalidated, TomTom has chosen a legal strategy of claiming Microsoft is violating TomTom patents. The suit, filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, accuses Microsoft of violating four TomTom patents relating to vehicle navigation software. This followed Microsoft's suits alleging TomTom...

Tags: Patent, TomTom, Microsoft Corp., Linux, Operating Systems, Software, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2009-03-20

The warning sound of TomTom

The warning sound of TomTom As my grandmother used to say......"there's nothing worse than a reformed sinner."If someone will point me.....to Tom Tom's defense fund, I'll make a contribution.i hate hypocrites.MS is one of them. So are most people when it suites their needs.Wrong wrong wrong....TomTom has stolen valuable...

Tags: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Corp., TomTom, middle finger, patent, Granny

Discussion threads 2009-02-27

Bang the TomTom slowly

Bang the TomTom slowlyBang the TomTom slowly but surely"TomTom's use of the Linux kernel in its products, ..."The fact of the matter is, the "Linux Kernel" was mentioned by name.^o^Still, if we let MS keep threatening, and demanding cross licensingagreements for invalid patents, it helps validate invalid patents. One at...

Tags: Microsoft Windows, OPEN SOURCE, Operating systems, UNIX, TomTom, Microsoft Corp., Tom-Tom, Linux

Discussion threads 2009-02-27

Bang the TomTom slowly

Sometimes a suit is just a suit. (What was Frank Langella actually doing when Nixon was President? Stay tuned.) Eben Moglen and the Software Freedom Law Center are thinking about getting involved in the patent suit Microsoft filed against TomTom, writes our Elinor Mills. ...

Tags: Patent, TomTom, Microsoft Corp., Jim Zemlin, Linux, UNIX, Operating Systems, Open Source, Software, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2009-02-27

Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone = copyright infringement

Apple: Jailbreaking an iPhone = copyright infringement oh yes, Apple is only against protecting IP rights of othersApple's own IP rights - that's something totally different! Not related at all. Apple's IP is by definition cool and deserves all the protection in the world. Like their latest idea with -...

Tags: Digital rights management (DRM), Digital media, Apple IP, Apple Inc., Apple iPhone, Jailbreaking, digital-rights management

Discussion threads 2009-02-13

Free Software Foundation calls Cisco a leech, in court

Free Software Foundation calls Cisco a leech, in courtDavid RavicherSurely, you mean Dan Ravicher? Unless he has a secret brother whom he's hired to work with him at SFLC.This is a test case ...Cisco understands the ramifications of what they're doing. There have been numerous rumors that Cisco plans to...

Tags: OPEN SOURCE, Katzer, GPL, Cisco Systems Inc., Free Software Foundation

Discussion threads 2008-12-12

Calling out lawyers on their own FUD

Last week I did a little legal snark, suggesting that the BusyBox settlements do not, as attorney Edward Walsh wrote, add to the legal risks run by enterprises using open source. Now the Software Freedom Law Center has weighed in on this, and they agree with me....

Tags: Edward Walsh, Open Source, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2008-06-10

Free is not always open, open need not be free

Before most of us had heard of FOSS there was shareware. (Image close up from Appistry.) Shareware was distributed free, often on floppy disks ask your dad what they were. You could use it but you were expected to pay for it if you liked it. ...

Tags: Shareware, Appistry, Open Source, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2008-03-28

Eben law can have an open source business model

Anyone can have an open source business model. Even an open source lawyer. Eben Moglen, whose Software Freedom Law Center provides free legal help to open source projects, has just announced Moglen Ravicher LLC, a for-profit law firm covering the same ground. Their first...

Tags: Lawyer, OpenNMS, Ravicher, Open Source, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2008-03-27

Bruce is back, does OSI still want him?

Bruce is back, does OSI still want him?Bruce, Bruce, Bruce...Personally, I think Perens is a has been. He wants a seat on the OSI board to try to become relevant again.His "campaign" seems to be based on fear-mongering. He writes "I think that vendor-domination of Open Source inevitably...

Tags: Corporate governance, OSI, open source, board

Discussion threads 2008-03-20

Microsoft OSP is a pie crust promise

Microsoft OSP is a pie crust promiseMS only has our best interest in mind.NOT!Keep it simple stupid is a good standard, MS standard is anything but simple.Let's see if I get this straightThe main gist of the paper is that OSP is not GPL and this, therefore, proves that...

Tags: MS Only, Microsoft Corp., GPL, OOXML

Discussion threads 2008-03-14

Microsoft OSP is a pie crust promise

As any fan of Mary Poppins knows, a pie crust promise is easily made, and easily broken. (Picture from Therapy and Movies.) The Software Freedom Law Center has a paper out today making this charge regarding Microsoft's Open Specification Promise. It was easily made and can be...

Tags: ISO, Microsoft Corp., Delegation, Microsoft OSP, Iso standards, Process Improvement, Quality, Business Operations, Dana Blankenhorn

Blog posts 2008-03-14

European Commission vs. Microsoft: Who is being unreasonable?

Now we know another reason Microsoft rolled out with great fanfare last week its interoperability principles. Not only was it hoping for one more chance to claim openness around its Office Open XML document format, but it was also hoping to head off another hefty antitrust fine from the European...

Tags: Mary Jo Foley

Blog posts 2008-02-27