Cisco and FSF settle lawsuit over GPL

[monsitj]

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Cisco has a dispute with the Free Software Foundation on a breach of the General Public License suitable. The lawsuit, which the FSF in December last year it had brought against Cisco, this is the job.

The Cisco subsidiary Linksys brings hardware software which is incorporated under the GPL, but does not always meet the condition that the source code it should be public. The FSF Cisco in 2003 pointed to this omission, which the manufacturer agreed improvement. Nevertheless Linksys often fail in its obligations in this area. After discussions with Cisco in 2008 piece ran, the FSF decided the company to justice.

Under pressure from the Cisco indictment returned back to the negotiating table and reached agreement yet with the FSF. Cisco will not be published pay money to the FSF and someone who specifically will ensure that the company meets the conditions of the GPL to comply, if reports Ars Technica.

The FSF is pleased that the matter was outside the court to be resolved. Director Peter Brown: "We are pleased that Cisco its commitment to open source community has been confirmed by the introduction of additional measures, so that the freedom of users under the GPL is guaranteed. Our agreement is the result that all relevant source code in the fastest possible way available.

[Una]

This is a fine development. Only a little strange for such a charge, I would assume that the costs of the lawsuit should cover, but it sounds a bit mysterious ...

[Kylebrn]

Maybe it would have been better if they were continued (and Cisco is less energy in the defense had been) so that a decision of the court would have been GPL. Maybe with a few appeal cases ....