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Story: GPLv3 may not bind Microsoft

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This is Bull

As a relative legal novice, I am shocked. Microsoft, and others of similar ilk, can write prohibitive (and sometimes unreasonable) licences, at will, and enforce them on an unwilling public and, of course as monopolies, charge what they wish.

So where do they come up with the idea that GPL3 is diferent in terms of its validity and enforceability as a licence. Its ultimate condition is the same, to use the software one must accept the conditions of the licence, a licence which is a lot less restrictive than any proprietry licence.

The Open Source Community and GPL Sofware offer much to the wider community, not least an alternative to the greed of some of the purveyors of proprietry software and, in particular, offers freedom and choice. Do we wish a future with no choices and our lives dictated to and controlled by a very small number of commercial organisations which cannot be held to account.

If, for instance, Microsoft with it's army of lawyers with no actual interest in software, or perhaps even no interest in right and wrong, succeed in invalidating the GPL, there is no future for open source and the likes of Microsoft can just take it for their own, under the very restrictive conditions of their licence.

It is now time that Open Source and it's supporters to wake up and push the panic button. Microsoft clearly have an agenda which is equally clearly not in the interests of Open Source and competition on merit.

Finally, I am appalled at the lack of comment on this and other recent related articles. Are we sleep walking into disaster and is apathy to the fore.

WAKE UP before it is too late.

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