Remember when Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone, and proclaimed, to much applause, that they patented the hell out of it? Well, apparently Apple likes to boast about its own patents, but when it comes to dealing with other's they're not so willing. That is, if you believe Nokia: the largest phone manufacturer in the world has sued Apple for patent infringement.
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Member since:2006-07-14
Yeah thinking of that too. Posted on Slash first cause I saw it there first, but would probably get a better response to my questions here.
I wonder how many of those same patents are included in the Linux based Maemo OS that the N900 has.
What exactly does that mean? If you have patents on some technology, but then release a device that implements them with code that's GPL V2 licensed? Does it mean that anyone can now use those patents royalty free as long as they use the gpl'd code? Or does it somehow invalidate them? Would GPL V3 change the situation appreciably?
Member since:2007-09-06
Member since:2009-02-19
For the GPL version 3, anyone who receives a covered work also automatically receives a license to any patentable components of that work (this is section 11 of the GPL V3: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html ).
The GPL V2 doesn't appear to actually have anything to say about patents, beyond this little chunk in the preamble:
So, if Qt is distributed under the GPL V2 (it's LGPL, isn't it? As far as patents are concerned, I think they're the same thing), then being a Qt user would not automatically grant you a patent license. If it where distributed under GPL V3, it would.
Edited 2009-10-22 21:50 UTC
Member since:
2009-05-20
The great hero and lover of open source at work.
Promoting open source software with the other hand, while lobbying patents in the EU and suing over patents in the US with the other hand.
Kind of mixed feelings. Maybe things like these will cast a shadow also over N900/Maemo.
Edited 2009-10-22 16:52 UTC