[free-sklyarov] BSA, DMCA statement on indictment

[Seth David Schoen]

Charles Eakins writes:

> Funny IBM's pushing open source software,

It's come up before that IBM and other companies with a large
investment and involvement in the open source world are also involved
in some initiatives which are seen as harmful to that world.

I was very critical of IBM for shipping the InterVideo LinDVD software
on Linux ThinkPads (this is the too-little-too-late DVD CCA-licensed
Linux DVD software, still inferior to the free software DVD CCA
suggests is illegal).  Now people who buy ThinkPads with Linux are giving
money and credibility to support the DVD CCA's arguments against free
software DVD players.  IBM could have shipped free software (LiViD OMS,
Xine, VideoLAN, ...), but it would likely have faced a lawsuit.  On
the other hand, I argued that the decision to ship LinDVD sends a
harmful message.

Other people have worried about IBM and software patents (it has
always held many more than any other entity), and IBM and copy
protection/DRM (IBM is a proponent of several DRM initiatives and a
member company of standards working groups which are developing
others).

The interesting thing is that IBM is a vast organization containing
many different parts, many different goals, and many different
cultures.  At a recent summit meeting on software patents, one
participant mentioned that some companies have entire departments
which are very anti-patent, and at the same time have other departments
whose entire purpose is to try to make money by licensing patents.
(IBM's patent licensing department in particular already received over
one billion dollars in annual revenue from licensing patents some time
ago.)

The size of IBM has made it difficult to talk to people who could do
something about this.  Some of my friends have certainly been trying,
but they tend to get the response "that's not my department", and _that
response tends to be accurate_!

"And when you give alms, do not even let your left hand know what your
right hand is doing."  (Matthew 6:3)

-- 
Seth David Schoen <schoen at loyalty.org> | Its really terrible when FBI arrested
Temp.  http://www.loyalty.org/~schoen/ | hacker, who visited USA with peacefull
down:  http://www.loyalty.org/   (CAF) | mission -- to share his knowledge with
     http://www.freesklyarov.org/      | american nation.  (Ilya V. Vasilyev)