DRM is Not a GNU GPLv3 Achilles Heel, But Might Interoperability Be?

Dr. Roy Schestowitz

2007-08-01 03:40:41 UTC
Modified: 2007-08-01 03:40:41 UTC

Discussions about Tivoization have left plenty of room for disinformation. Some still believe that GPLv3 forbids DRM. While DRM is a very nasty, dangerous, and anti-consumer use of encryption, it is not forbidden by the new licence. Ed Burnette wrote a lengthy item to dispel this myth.

In our continuing series on the latest version of the world’s most popular (and least understood) free/open source license, today we look at a controversial subject: Digital Rights Management (DRM). My colleague David Berlind has another name for DRM: Content, Restriction, Annulment, and Protection (CRAP).

Elsewhere on the Web, someone decided to share malicious ideas that could 'poison' the licence.

Since MS seems to really dislike GPL v3, they could solve a lot of their problems with a simple move: Release all the code necessary to get interoperability under Linux working. Under GPL v2 only.

This is similar to an idea which we already said would never work. The partnerships with Linux companies (other than Novell) were -- among many things -- used to pressure the FSF and discourage use of GPLv3.

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DRM is Not a GNU GPLv3 Achilles Heel, But Might Interoperability Be?

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