Legal Weight Added to GPL
Market Watch
May 06, 2005
A Linux programmer has reported a legal victory in enforcing the General Public License. CNet News.com reports that a court in Germany has issued an injunction barring a company called Fortinet from distributing products which include "initrd," a GPL-licensed linux component to which Harald Welte holds the copyright.
The case highlights the ease with which open-source software can spread across the computing industry--but also the growing pains that companies face as they adjust to new legal concepts underlying the collaborative programming approach.
In an update,
Fortinet has settled and agreed to make available the GPL-licensed components of its software and to modify its licensing agreement to include the GPL licensing terms.
