linux-kernel - Re: GPLv3 Position Statement

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Message-Id: <1159577782.9543.47.camel@mulgrave.il.steeleye.com>
Date:	Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:56:22 -0400
From:	James Bottomley <James.Bottomley@...elEye.com>
To:	tridge@...ba.org
Cc:	Jeff Garzik <jeff@...zik.org>,
	linux-kernel <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: GPLv3 Position Statement

On Fri, 2006-09-29 at 19:52 +1000, tridge@...ba.org wrote:
>  > tridge@...ba.org wrote:
>  > > I'd also like to note that I don't have much sympathy for companies
>  > > that consist of only a patent portfolio. They are pretty much scum in
>  > > my view. If they don't make any products at all and live on only
>  > > patent revenue then the world would be better off without them :-)
>  > 
>  > So, if you outsource your manufacturing, you are scum?
> 
> I think its reasonable to include 'programming', 'developing' etc in
> 'make' :-)
> 
> I'm just not a fan of companies who don't do anything except collect
> patent royalties on products that other people develop. I doubt there
> would be anyone in that category on this mailing list :)

You mean pure patent trolls (companies whose sole business model is
extracting royalties from other companies)?  I think you're right, we
can all agree they're evil.  However, since they don't distribute any
open source software, being purely setup to blackmail companies with
their patent portfolio, GPLv3 isn't going to help us at all in the fight
against them.

This is one of the things that really troubles me about GPLv3.  I think
we can all agree that pure patent troll companies are evil and that DRM
as formulated by the media conglomerates to try to impose their will
(and legislate a business model) on the end user are evil.   However,
attacking Tivo, or companies with large patent portfolios as a proxy for
getting at the real problem is also wrong.

James

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