WelcomeFrom MwikiNews 24 nov 2008: The "assignation" has been sent! Thanks to everyone who helped the project, this formal request to the judge was sent by Harald Welte (Iptables), Rob Landley and Erik Andersen (Busybox), officially starting the legal proceedings. The complaint demands compliance by Free to the GNU/GPL as well as damages to compensate the use of Busybox and Iptables in violation of the GPL. As promised, we published the document, you can read it here if you want to get all the details. A lengthy legal process is starting now, we will keep you informed in the coming months and years. We are also closing the donation campaign for now, as the first goal has been reached - we will let you know if there is a need to reopen it. Thank you! News 3 jun 2008:This is the first update in months, as things are moving on very slowly at the moment. Work is still being done on the "assignation", but we are still unsure when it will be ready exactly. Every detail is still followed very closely though, and we will keep you informed. News 12 feb 2008: No big news. The "assignation" is still being worked on by our lawyers; they are also discussing with Iliad's lawyers since mid-January. The whole process should still take a few weeks. In any case, we'll keep you informed and let you know when something happen. News 11 dec 2007: The letter asking Iliad to comply with the GPL, sent the 11/14, said the operator had one month to comply with the request. The time being almost over now, the lawyers are now preparing an "assignation". Unless there is a last minute change, it should be sent mid-January.
[edit] PreambleWe are free software developers, and we feel that it is important to show our appreciation for the innovative contributions that Iliad has made in the telecommunication industry, along with its propensity to utilize free software. It is with much pleasure that we have learned that our software has been installed by Iliad on Freebox, thereby benefiting many with our work. [edit] IssueHowever, for some time now, we have become increasingly worried about the position Iliad has expressed in the media. This software was developed in the best interest of all, and unlike developers of proprietary software, we do not ask for much in exchange for our work: we simply request to receive recognition and that any modification and additions to our work be available to all. Having already previously witnessed the attitude of Iliad in regards to the spirit of sharing, which is at the core of free software, and the little work it takes to respect our licensing requests, we did not think that this would be a concern in the least. However, we have been forced to concede that this is not always the case: the executives of the corporation have now refused to respect the conditions of shared distribution. This shift, between what we know and appreciate about Iliad, and this apparent refusal to acknowledge our work without any reason, makes us fear that, with its increasing success and recently appointed management, Iliad is forgetting its initial foundation and namesake. [edit] Resulting ActionsWe are curious as to what is behind the shift in behavior, more so as the recognized modifications were minor in nature. We are worried, because unless Freebox is destined to take more space in our homes in the future, we do not understand the motivations at work behind these current actions. Is there a reason why Iliad cannot openly acknowledge and publish the few modifications made to our software now, that they would then be forced to do so in the future, when the modifications made by Iliad would be more numerous? In light of the fact that Iliad has refused to partake in any discourse, and after having exhausted all other recourses at our disposal, we are forced to bring this business in front of the courts. This is not done with a light heart, because we believe that our energies and funding can be better used elsewhere, but it is vital that our creative work is respected. We are calling on additional support from the community; since we do not have the financial assets of a large corporation, covering the expense of an attorney is an additional challenge we will have to face. We respectfully request Iliad to embrace its initial goal: to respect the spirit in which we developed this software and not follow in the footsteps of other large media corporations. In other words, to once again embrace and defend a truly free Internet. [edit] Learn more |
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