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Re: [LUG] Ubuntu and Dell is illegal in the US

 

On Tue, 1 May 2007 16:31:32 +0100
"Jonathan Roberts" <jonathan.roberts.uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> This article (OK, from a Fedora blog!) is a pretty interesting read I
> think -

Numerous technical errors and misinterpretations. Quite a high FUD
score, overall.

> talking about how Ubuntu is illegal in the US due to DMCA,

Untrue. Ubuntu makes it possible for a user to install stuff that could
be deemed illegal to copy or distribute in the US but a lot of those
problems are untested in court and Ubuntu does warn the user.

That's separate from the much-discussed issue here of whether Ubuntu
should make this stuff so easy to obtain in the first place. It is a
deliberate decision within Ubuntu to make it easy - some will say that
Ubuntu may yet regret that policy.

> patent and licensing violations (including, possibly the GPL)

Not true - there are grey areas in the kernel but, again, the default
install doesn't enable that stuff.

Does the fact that Windows supports software that could be illegal in
some countries make Windows illegal or make Dell liable for
pre-installing it? That road leads to complete IT gridlock. Thereagain,
there are plenty of people in Europe who say that the crazy US patent
situation is leading directly to the same gridlock anyway.

--

Neil Williams
=============
http://www.data-freedom.org/
http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/
http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/

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