Channelled GPL aggression
pc-news.org has conducted an interview with Eben Moglen, an attorney representing the Free Software Foundation, in which he discusses the differences between version 2 and the forthcoming version 3 of the GPL. The changes, which he describes as an evolution of the license with no fundamental change, are aimed primarily at the legal environment and patent laws. He says that patent laws are a form of legal subsidy to business, and goes on to be critical of companies and their usage of free software, like TiVo, who try to straddle the line between freedom and un-freedom just a little too closely, the movie industry, and others.
What TiVo needs to do – what everybody needs to do who makes electronic devices – is to stop injuring users to help movie companies. We don’t want our software used in a way which batters the head of the user to please somebody else.
Read the whole interview:
Defender of the GPL
