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VMware Sued for Ripping Off Linux Kernel Source Code

posted by n1 on Friday March 06 2015, @10:19AM   Printer-friendly
from the lawyers-already-won dept.

"gewg_" writes:

El Reg reports:

Linux kernel developer Christoph Hellwig has sued VMware in Hamburg, Germany, over alleged violations of the GNU General Public License.

Hellwig's suit, which is backed by New York advocacy group the Software Freedom Conservancy, alleges that VMware's proprietary ESXi hypervisor products use portions of the code that Hellwig wrote for the Linux kernel, in violation of the terms of version 2 of the GPL.

"In addition to other ways VMware has not complied with the requirements of the GPL," the Conservancy wrote in a blog post on Wednesday, "Conservancy and Hellwig specifically assert that VMware has combined copyrighted Linux code, licensed under GPLv2, with their own proprietary code called 'vmkernel' and distributed the entire combined work without providing nor offering complete, corresponding source code for that combined work under terms of the GPLv2."

This isn't the first time Hellwig has made such claims. He first accused VMware of violating the GPL in 2006 via the Linux Kernel Mailing List, even threatening to sue. It now seems that the proverbial other shoe has finally dropped.

 
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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by Marneus68 on Friday March 06 2015, @11:58AM

    by Marneus68 (3572) on Friday March 06 2015, @11:58AM (#153804) Homepage

    Over five seconds of google-fu proved you were full of shit: http://packages.linuxmint.com/list.php?release=Rebecca [linuxmint.com]

    Starting Score:    1  point
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  • (Score: 5, Funny) by wonkey_monkey on Friday March 06 2015, @01:35PM

    by wonkey_monkey (279) on Friday March 06 2015, @01:35PM (#153824) Homepage

    Exactly. Over five seconds. I'm not made of time!

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk

    • (Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Friday March 06 2015, @05:37PM

      by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Friday March 06 2015, @05:37PM (#153879) Journal

      I'm not made of time!

      Oh, you REALLY should look into that upgrade! I'M made of time - and space, too! It's a real life-changer, believe you me. Got the wife convinced that we should be saving a little to afford the next step: becoming PURE ENERGY! It's supposed to be a blast.

      --
      You're betting on the pantomime horse...

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Friday March 06 2015, @05:38PM

      by Jeremiah Cornelius (2785) on Friday March 06 2015, @05:38PM (#153882) Journal

      systemd is Odysseus' gift horse

      --
      You're betting on the pantomime horse...