[Fellowship-Slovenia] Legal news update March 19th

Sat Mar 19 23:37:44 UTC 2011

Hoj,

kot sem že omenil, sestavljam vsak teden pregled (večinoma) pravno relevantnih 
člankov s področja prostega programja, odprtih standardov ipd. Se mi zdi, da 
bi tudi večino na tej listi to zanimalo…

Se opravičujem, da je v angleščini, ampak nimam časa še prevajati …če se pa 
kdo javi, pa ima moj žegen že v naprej :D

Na voljo je tudi na mojem blogu:
http://matija.suklje.name/?q=node/237

Table of Contents:
1. Free Software Licensing
2. Free Software Business
3. Software Patents
4. Copyright and Other Legal Act Reforms
5. Government and Free Software Policies
6. Open Standards
7. Other interesting links

		\\ Free Software Licensing //

Presses are full of yet another alleged copyright infringement in Android — 
this time 
it’s the Bionic C library and yet again about headers that are claimed to have 
been 
copied from Linux. From what I can see it’s just another FUD attempt (intended 
or 
spun out). If nothing else it might just be that the headers in question are 
just 
standard POSIX headers.
	* Bradley M. Kuhn: Questioning The Original Analysis On The Bionic Debate
	http://ebb.org/bkuhn/blog/2011/03/18/bionic-debate.html
	* ZDnet: Does Google's Android violate Linux's Copyright?
	http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/does-googles-android-violate-linuxs-
copyright/8497

		\\ Free Software Business //

A recent Gartner study shows that not only more and more businesses are using 
Free 
Software, but increasingly so for the right reasons too! 
	* Harward Bussiness Review: Open Source Software Hits a Strategic Tipping 
Point
	http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/03/open_source_software_hits_a_st.html

Read Write Web: Peter Biddle of Intel On the Benefits of MeeGo and a 
Compelling Eco-
System for Developers
http://www.readwriteweb.com/hack/2011/03/peter-biddle-of-intel-on-the-b.php

the Inquirer: Nokia admits Microsoft Windows Phone is 'risky' and 'unproven'
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2033794/nokia-admits-microsoft-
windows-
phone-risky-unproven

Andy Updegrove writes how it seems the car industry may finally get a 
consortium-led 
standard called Terminal Mode to connect smart phones, netbooks etc. to the 
dumb 
terminal that is the car’s computer. Andy Updegrove predicts much of this may 
be Free 
Software. So far on board are: LG Electronics, Nokia, Samsung, Daimler, 
General 
Motors, Honda, Hyundai Motor Company, Toyota, Volkswagen, Alpine and 
Panasonic. 
That’s a great step forward. I’d still very much like to see Free Software 
actually 
running my car and not just the gadgets. Maybe this is the field where Nokia 
still 
sees a market for Qt…
	* the Standards Blog: Has the Battle for the Digital Car Been Won?

http://www.consortiuminfo.org/standardsblog/article.php?story=20110318094909562
	* Terminal Mode
	http://www.terminalmode.org

		\\ Software Patents //

Simon Phipps explains what’s wrong about ”parallel filling” and calls for the 
big 
players in Free Software to step up and share the burden of protection from 
patents 
with the communities in which they participate. As he writes, the issue is not 
solved 
by just promising not to sue for a few certain patents and that a realistic 
threat 
arises when a company with such patents is bought or its patent portfolio is 
otherwise acquired (sc. Novell).
	* Wild Webmink: The Threat Of Parallel Filing
	http://webmink.com/2011/03/18/parallel-filing/

Free Software OpenGL drivers are shipped without S3TC support to avoid patent 
infringement. A debate arose online about how this should be solved. I didn‘t 
check 
whether these patents are valid only in the US as some comments suggest.
	* ABC Linuxu: Interview: Ryan C. Gordon
	http://www.abclinuxu.cz/clanky/rozhovor-ryan-c.-gordon-icculus?page=1
	* Zack Rusin: Directing Lemmings
	http://zrusin.blogspot.com/2011/03/directing-lemmings.html

the Inquirer: Patent firm sues Asus, Dell, Intel, RIM and others over WiFi
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2035405/patent-firm-sues-asus-dell-
intel-
rim-wifi

		\\ Copyright and Other Legal Act Reforms //

Francis Gurry (Director General, WIPO) recently held a talk at the Blue Sky 
conference in Sydney, on the subject of “Future Directions in Copyright Law”. 
His 
talk was centred around how the internet and other digital technologies have 
massively changed our lives and the access to culture. He pointed out that the 
law 
can’t play catch-up and even hinted that maybe other tools would be better 
suited to 
give people the best access to culture and at the same time make sure its 
creators 
are getting a fair share. He also highlighted three main principles to guide 
policymakers going forward: technology neutrality, comprehensiveness and 
coherence, 
and simplicity. When the head of the WIPO already acknowledges this, we can be 
sure 
it’s high time copyright (and other so called “IPRs”) change substantially 
along with 
many other things around it.
	* WIPO: The Future of Copyright (Sydney, February 25, 2011)
	http://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/dgo/speeches/dg_blueskyconf_11.html
	* IP Watch: Copyright System Must “Adapt Or Perish,” WIPO Director Says
	http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2011/03/15/copyright-system-must-“adapt-or-
perish”-wipo-director-says/

Freedom to Tinker: A Legacy at Risk: How the new Ministry of Culture in Brazil 
reversed its digital agenda
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/rlemos/legacy-risk-how-new-ministry-
culture-
brazil-reversed-its-digital-agenda

		\\ Government and Free Software Policies //

It is reported that the UK government could save millions on if it only took 
its own 
Free Software promises serious and fixed its procurement rules. These are also 
blamed 
to discriminate SME. The CTPR analyses the latest policy pronouncement rules 
and 
their history.
	* the Centre for Technology Policy Research: 10 years on, where next for 
open 
source and open standards in UK Government?
	http://ctpr.org/?p=604
	* 10 Platform: The Government can save millions, but only if it is open to 
having open IT procurement processes
	http://www.platform10.org/2011/03/government-save-millions-only-open-
having-
open-procurement-processes/
	* Flax: UK Government IT – a closed shop to SMEs and OSS?
	http://www.flax.co.uk/blog/2011/03/18/government-it-a-closed-shop-to-smes-
and-
oss/

OSOR: DE: Company network to be funded to develop open source business 
software
http://www.osor.eu/news/de-company-network-to-be-funded-to-develop-open-
source-
business-software-1

OSOR: FR: April publishes new argumentation tools on public procurement 
contracts
http://www.osor.eu/news/fr-april-publishes-new-argumentation-tools-on-public-
procurement-contracts

OSOR: CH: Open source portal goes live
http://www.osor.eu/news/ch-open-source-portal-goes-live

OSOR: ES: Galician Government releases comparative study on open software-
based 
eCommerce platform
http://www.osor.eu/news/es-galician-government-releases-comparative-study-on-
open-
software-based-ecommerce-platforms

		\\ Open Standards //

Google decides to stop support for its Free Software Gears and concentrate on 
HTML5 
instead.
	* the Inquirer: Google is pulling the plug on Gears
	http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2033713/google-pulling-plug-gears

		\\ Other interesting links //

the Linux Foundation: Panasonic Joins Linux Foundation
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/announcements/2011/03/panasonic-
joins-
linux-foundation

the Linux Foundation: PingWin Software Joins Linux Foundation
http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/announcements/2011/03/pingwin-
software-
joins-linux-foundation

Michael Geist: EU Report Says CETA IP Provisions Would Increase Consumer 
Prices, 
Royalty Deficit
http://www.michaelgeist.ca/content/view/5691/125/

Cheers,
Matija

-- 
Deputy Coordinator of the Freedom Task Force
Coordinator of the Fellowship group Slovenia
www: http://fsfe.org       █▉   || priv. www: http://matija.suklje.name
e-mail: hook at fsfe.org    █▉█▉█▉ || priv. e-mail: matija at suklje.name
xmpp: hook at jabber.fsfe.org ▉▉   || priv. xmpp: matija.suklje at gabbler.org
sip: hook at ekiga.net             || gsm: +386 41 849 552

-----------------------------------------
-- 
Deputy Legal Coordinator, FSFE
and Coordinator of the Fellowship group Slovenia
www: http://fsfe.org       █▉   || priv. www: http://matija.suklje.name
e-mail: hook at fsfe.org    █▉█▉█▉ || priv. e-mail: matija at suklje.name
xmpp: hook at jabber.fsfe.org ▉▉   || priv. xmpp: matija.suklje at gabbler.org
sip: hook at ekiga.net             || gsm: +386 41 849 552
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