[Arm-netbook] tablet pricing

[Guo, Yifu]

in all honesty they released what is a novo 8 compatible source earlier and
since then pulled it, but It has been mirrored, again The end users will
not have to deal with this problem as they won't be touching the source
code at all, and binaries does not suffer this issue.

At least for my project those who wishes to modify and customize can go on
XDA or what not and find a link to a possible "leaked" source code, or in
this case, they have released but no longer provide and work off of that.

Is it still going to be copy right infringement if I took apart my TV and
remodeled it?

I feel in this field since nobody is playing straight, you gotta throw some
curve balls yourself.

that's just my 2cents.

Cheers.
*Yifu Guo*
skype: yifu.guo
CTO http://bitsyn.com
1-(347)-370-9069
"Life is an everlasting self-improvement."
http://bitcoinnavigator.com



On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 7:26 AM, lkcl luke <luke.leighton at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 12:16 PM, cnxsoft <cnxsoft at cnx-software.com>
> wrote:
> > On 13/07/2012 17:46, lkcl luke wrote:
> >> On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 11:38 AM, cnxsoft<cnxsoft at cnx-software.com>
>  wrote:
> >>> On 13/07/2012 16:55, lkcl luke wrote:
> >>>> On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 9:23 AM, Guo, Yifu<yifu.guo at bitsyn.com>
> wrote:
> >>>>> GPS licencing is expensive.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Also I'm going with AMlogic with my project as they do provide
> source,
> >>>>    no, they don't.  they force companies to sign a GPL-violating NDA,
> >>>> and do *not* provide full source code.
> >>>>
> >>> They may drag their feet for new processors, but for older ones, they
> >>> seem pretty open: http://openlinux.amlogic.com/wiki/index.php/Arm
> >>   for the reference designs? sure it is - but that reference design
> >> code is absolutely of zero use to you if it doesn't match the
> >> hardware, is it?
> >>
> >>   their GPL-violating policies cost us hard cash, and cost us a client.
> >>   an ODM which *they recommended* refused to provide the modifications
> >> that the ODM themselves had made, because they had signed the
> >> GPL-violating NDA.  we had already approached a client who wanted to
> >> use the ODM's devices with their own custom OS, but without the full
> >> GPL source code this was clearly impossible, and "our" failure to
> >> deliver cost *us* the client.
> >>
> >>   also: you've heard of the "Spark Plasma" Tablet?  it's actually a
> >> rebadged Zenithink tablet.  one of Zenithink's Engineers *deliberately
> >> violated* the AMLogic NDA that his company, Zenithink, had signed, by
> >> providing the spark plasma team with the GPL Source Code, calling into
> >> question the legality of the project.
> >>
> >>   you *can't* mess around with this stuff.
> >>
> >>   l.
> > I've never worked with AMLogic, so I can't comment directly on the
> > issues you had with them.
> > However, in the link I provided, although I haven't looked into details,
> > they seem to release u-boot and the kernel source code (For 8226 and
> > others) publicly together with instructions to build it and use their
> > media framework.
>
>  yes.  that's what originally attracted us to AMLogic.
>
> > There is no need to sign a NDA first before downloading
> > the files on that page.
>
>  yes, that's right.  insidious and compelling, isn't it?
>
> > If you have a different hardware, you could
> > modify u-boot and/or the kernel.
>
>  yes... by being forced to reverse-engineer that hardware.  ok, to
> clarify: where does this "different hardware" come from?  if it comes
> from an ODM that signed AMLogic's GPL-violating NDA, you're f*****d,
> aren't you?
>
>  if however you designed that hardware *yourself* then of course
> that's a different matter (but see below - the venture is still at
> risk).
>
>
> > My assumption is that people could run into the issues you described
> > with new processors,
>
>  that as well.
>
> > where AMLogic asks their customers to sign an NDA
> > that would prevent them to sell a device without violating GPL. (Which
> > unfortunately seems to be the norm).
>
>  ... and this loses AMLogic the right to distribute the GPL Source
> Code.  this loses *AMLOGIC* the right to distribute that GPL source
> code.
>
>  let me repeat that again in case it hasn't sunk in.  AMLogic DO NOT
> HAVE THE RIGHT TO DISTRIBUTE LINUX KERNEL AND U-BOOT SOURCE CODE.  the
> GPLv2 is very clear.
>
>  and they are a U.S.-based corporation, which means that they can be
> sued for copyright violation and, unlike in a PRC-based corporation,
> the case would stick.
>
>  so you are taking a serious risk by using AMLogic CPUs.  your
> customers could end up having their products impounded at Customs, or
> the supply of CPUs completely dry up if AMLogic end up with an
> injunction against them for Copyright Infringement.
>
>  l.
>
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