That made me giggle <3

It's sort of like your ex trying to break up you and your new date just because they can't stand to see you happy...and besides, your love was supposed to be FOREVER.

"but this move was just tacky...and a little stupid. -Mark Wilson"

Mark, you understand the GPL, right? The move itself is not tacky or stupid. The timing might be a little suspect, but Linksys (now Cisco) has a history of taking GPL code and failing to release their modifications without significant pressure. In most cases, when a GPL violation results in a suit, the terms of the law suit are simply to force the company to release their code to the public. In rare circumstances (such as the company denying any use of GPL code), is the company obliged to pay any kind of fine.

Perhaps I'm overreacting to your use of the words "tacky" and "stupid," but any GPL violation I take very personally. It amazes me how many people to get away with it, just to make a few bucks off of someone else's work by claiming it as their own.

This is not something new, using someone else's technology, and will never go away. It plagues all industries and afffects us all. Whether its Microsoft, CIsco, or Apple, they have all been accused of shoddy business practices.

As much as I personally detest Cisco (because of my Cisco stock loss a few years back), I feel they operate like all businesses must to survive in a dog eat dog economy. All companies bend the rules, and some break the rules, it's all a part of business in today's world.

I think you're misunderstanding what he meant Sam. Mark meant that Cisco NOT releasing the code was tacky and stupid, not that the move by the GPLVP was stupid.

does anyone know if Apple violates any GPLs by building OS X on top of Unix? its obvious to me that they make money doing this, but i haven't heard of any backlash or lawsuits on it.

samLD: I agree. Cisco's lack of compliance was "tacky and stupid".

"Sure, Cisco owns "iPhone" fair and square"

Actually, that point, as you well know, is highly debatable. A trademark has to be used to become a valid trademark and trademarks are not property they way copyrights are. A company is granted a monopoly on a "trademark" so that consumers won't be confused by imitators, but a company must continue to use its trademark and it must actively enforce the trademark and the term must not become generic or the company will lose rights to the mark.

The company Cisco bought that registered the iPhone trademark never used it and Cisco's attempt to claim "continuous" usage by slapping an iPhone sticker on an existing package weeks before the deadline for the 6 year "Declaration of Use" is very questionable.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Burnette/?p=239

aaa.. they did use the iphone trademark name, its called the iphone http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/cisco-is-expecting-s...

Good god can we go a day without some ridiculous iPhone minutiae please?

How the hell are you guys going to sustain these craptacular stories for 5 months until the POS comes out? Then I suppose you'll be running stories about the iPhone 2.0?

Enough with the apple suckfest, please.

Linksys is a frequent and unapologetic GPL offender. Sad behavior that surely causes many people to think twice about buying their otherwise decent products.

Hey Axtell, the only thing that's more tiresome than all of the apple stories are the people complaining about them.

If you don't like it, nobody's forcing you to visit.

bigtimes:

the only thing more tiring than all the the iPhone stories are the mindless lemmings defending apple.

And while nobody may be 'forcing me to visit', I do find the site very entertaining (aside from the nonstop slurping they've been doing with the iPhone).

If you don't like my comments, no one's forcing you to respond.

I can see Apple's strategy: bring Cisco's iPhone into the spotlight via law suit, public becomes aware of the product and the demand goes up. Cisco attempts to increase production volume and speed to meet demand, and ends up producing shoddy product. Public enraged. Cisco's iPhone project implodes. Cisco abandons iPhone project and the iPhone trademark. Apple takes the trademark iPhone.