[Arm-netbook] CT-PC89E / Chitech GPL Violation update: they're "in the middle"

[Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton]

On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 8:10 PM, Andrew M.A. Cater
<amacater at galactic.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 29, 2010 at 03:50:03PM +0000, Luke Kenneth Casson Leighton wrote:
>> ok, i just heard back from kimberley of chitech, and she explained
>> that they're "in the middle".  they're just a factory, manufacturing
>> machines.  this puts them in both a difficult position and also in one
>> of power, because they are perfectly well entitled to request the GPL
>> and LGPL source code, just as we are!
>>
>
> Much as I thought, then. It might be a good thing to say sorry and that
> we misunderstood, that we will help them pursue Naijing. It may also be
> worth calling off the GPL police on Chitech and sending them to Naijing.

 well... yes and no: if they continue to sell the machines with MOS,
they're _still_ gpl violators.


>> right now, the company Naijing, aka "http://mid-fun.com", has them by
>> the short and curlies by not providing chitech with the OS of the very
>> hardware which they're manufacturing.
>>
>> so, ironically, by reverse-engineering the linux kernel and publishing
>> it, we're doing chitech an enormous favour, freeing them from the
>> dependence on the GPL violators.
>>
>
> Best we get stock Debian on it then :)

 yyyyep :)

>> i've also explained, but it does need to be emphasised and made clear
>> to chitech that by distributing binaries they are _still_ in violation
>> of the GPL (thank you to richard for pointing that out), even if the
>> company that supplied _them_ with binaries is also in violation.
>>
>
> If we can give them Debian, then they can move from there. If they stop
> distributing mid-fun, they stop being in trouble?

 yes.  but we don't have u-boot for them to replace it with, yet, nor
a complete working kernel.  WIFI GPIO powerup sequence needs to be
checked.

 so ... yah.