This is much more than your typical license violation -- AVM is suing Cybits because Cybits exercised their GPL rights. So this is a very important case to legitimize the GPL.<p>more information on Harald Welte's blog: <a href="http://laforge.gnumonks.org/weblog/2011/06/20/#20110620-avm_cybits_gpl_violation" rel="nofollow">http://laforge.gnumonks.org/weblog/2011/06/20/#20110620-avm_...</a>
If AVM is trying to stop Cybits from reusing the code from AVM that was under GPL in their own stuff, fat chance at that lawsuit.<p>If AVM is trying to stop Cybits from running modified versions of the GPL code on AVM hardware, then it's not really illegal directly for Cybits to do, but AVM could enforce code signing DRM requirements in their hardware (like TIVO does) to prevent anyone with fiddling with it.<p>Really AVM could just give up warranty and support for customers that change their software to run Cybits, or if it really bothers them, put signing requirements in their firmware.
If AVM were to win this case, could the copyright holders of the Linux source withdraw their license to AVM? Could the license be wielded as a sword and not just a shield?
> "Ironically, by preventing others from enacting the rights granted by the GNU GPL, AVM itself is in violation of the license terms. Therefore they have no right to distribute the software" says Till Jaeger.<p>Is there any more to this than the quote above? The GPL is viral. Sure, you own the copyright to any changes you've made to GPL'd software, but you give up a lot of those rights the moment you distribute. Don't like it? Look for something BSD/MIT licensed to modify and distribute.