GPL police fingers embedded Linux dirty dozen at CeBIT

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Mar. 16, 2005

The founder of the GPL Violations Project has contacted a baker's dozen (13) of alleged GPL violators at this week's giant CeBIT trade show in Germany, according to CNET. Harald Welte, who also authored the ubiquitous iptables/netfilter firewall application, founded the project to raise awareness about obligations, the story says.

According to CNET, Welte analyzes the firmware that powers embedded devices, using a hex editor and pattern-matching software, in an effort to discover GPL software being used illicitly. The GPL requires users to distribute source code with their products, and to advertise the availability of such code to customers, Welte says.

According to the CNET story, Welte adds that even companies that do distribute source code often distribute out-of-date or corrupt code. He says that networking devices are the products most likely to violate the GPL, followed by set-top boxes, vehicle navigation systems, and special-purpose software. Welte says storage arrays and VoIP (voice-over-IP) phones are likely to become the next problem areas for GPL violations.

More details about the GPL Violations Project, including companies thought to be in violation, are available on the project website and in the CNET story.

LinuxDevices.com hosts a discussion forum devoted to topics relating to GPL in embedded devices, and associated license issues.

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