Sony have released in Europe a Linux kit for their Playstation 2 game console. (Previously, the Linux kit was not available in Europe).
Unfortunately their licensing terms (visible on the web at http://www.linuxplay.com/eula.html) appear to be in violation of the GPL. The EULA states: NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. You may install and use the Software only with a PlayStation??Computer Entertainment System. You may not copy, modify or transfer the Software"
I have sent an email to them pointing this out and await their reply.
(If anyone else wishes to contact them about this, please be polite. Also, it is not a good idea to contact websites such as Slashdot about this, until they have a chance to rectify things).
On Wed, 2002-05-22 at 21:47, phil hunt wrote:
Sony have released in Europe a Linux kit for their Playstation 2 game console. (Previously, the Linux kit was not available in Europe).
Unfortunately their licensing terms (visible on the web at http://www.linuxplay.com/eula.html) appear to be in violation of the GPL. The EULA states: NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. You may install and use the Software only with a PlayStation??Computer Entertainment System. You may not copy, modify or transfer the Software"
It also states:
This product contains Sony Computer Entertainment Inc proprietary software ("Software") and third party proprietary software ("Third Party Software")
Sadly, it is not possible to infringe the GPL unless you actually licence your software with it :/ Given they describe it as software they have copyright on, and is proprietary, it's likely that this EULA applies to the parts of the software that they have added to the kit to get it to work - hardware drivers, physics modules spring to mind (I assume the 3rd party software they refer to is their physics engine).
Now, if they have modified GPL software in order to make their system work, that is a different matter, but one that (I suspect) would be difficult to prove. If someone recieves a CD and there is no invitation to the source for the software, then it's possible there is an infringement, and it's worth finding out. And of course, we should invite them to make Free what is currently proprietary so that people are able to distribute Free Software based on this system - TuxRacer, bzflag, et al, should be possible.
Cheers,
Alex.
On Wednesday 22 May 2002 10:00 pm, Alex Hudson wrote:
On Wed, 2002-05-22 at 21:47, phil hunt wrote: Sony have released in Europe a Linux kit for their Playstation 2 game console. (Previously, the Linux kit was not available in Europe).
Unfortunately their licensing terms (visible on the web at http://www.linuxplay.com/eula.html) appear to be in violation of the GPL. The EULA states: NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. You may install and use the Software only with a PlayStation??Computer Entertainment System. You may not copy, modify or transfer the Software"
It also states:
This product contains Sony Computer Entertainment Inc proprietary software ("Software") and third party proprietary software ("Third Party Software")
Good point.
On Wed, May 22, 2002 at 09:47:39PM +0100, phil hunt wrote:
Unfortunately their licensing terms (visible on the web at http://www.linuxplay.com/eula.html) appear to be in violation of the GPL. The EULA states: NON COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. You may install and use the Software only with a PlayStation??Computer Entertainment System. You may not copy, modify or transfer the Software"
If that licence is for the entire system, then I suppose they're not in violation of the GPL. The version of the Linux kernel for the Playstation 2 doesn't access the hardware directly, but communicates with an intermediate, proprietary, system.
The drivers emmulating normal hardware that talks with that system are released under the GPL, I think...
(If anyone else wishes to contact them about this, please be polite. Also, it is not a good idea to contact websites such as Slashdot about this, until they have a chance to rectify things).
Wasn't there a discussion about this already?