GPL vs. McHardy: How One Developer can Damage the Concept of Free Software and the GPL

Today we’re going to talk about an issue that has raised concern in the Linux community in general and also companies that use open source software (also known as FOSS) in their products. Many now fear that a recent legal battle between a company using Linux in their products and a single developer could greatly impair the adoption and development of Linux.

Linux developer Patrick McHardy brought China based company Geniatech to court in Germany due to an alleged violation of the GNU Public License version 2 known as GPLv2. Geniatech uses Linux for some of its satellite TV receivers sold in Europe by Geniatech Euorope. Allegedly, Geniatech provided only a binary of their modified version of Linux. The GPLv2 license requires that any modifications of the Linux source code be made available to the public.

Blog Post and Sources: https://fastgadgets.info/2018/03/18/gpl-vs-mchardy-how-one-developer-can-damage-the-concept-of-free-software-and-the-gpl/

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