Enzo, I think you gave me legal answer I want...."Linking copy-protection code into Asterisk would violate the GPL, which requires you to distribute the source code of all modifications"
True, I think I will go with something like custom labels non-removable with our name on it....
Cheers,
On 10/11/06, Enzo Michelangeli <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Linking copy-protection code into Asterisk would violate the GPL, which requires you to distribute the source code of all modifications. But I see no problem whatsoever in embedding protections in other parts of the system, for example a custom binary "init" that might run its checks at boot time before passing control to the /etc/rc script... Or even modify Asterisk's binary to communicate, e.g. through sockets, with a separate closed-source copy protection process running in background. In that case you should only distribute the source code of the modifications to Asterisk, not of the copy-protection enforcement daemon. Sure, a skilled buyer could restore the original Asterisk, but that's probably going to cost them more in reverse-engineering efforts than what they would save cutting you off...Cheers --Enzo----- Original Message -----From: Erick PerezSent: Thursday, October 12, 2006 9:45 AMSubject: [Astlinux-users] OT: Ethics questionOne company approached ours and asked for an embedded solution. 4FXS, no big deal. However that company has access to a potential market were a few dozen boxes (or even more) can be sold using a special contract. We know that this company wants to have the solution built by us so he can copy it later in terms of hardware, software, etc so we are bypassed, By means of contacting the providers of the hardware and buying directly (example soekris, via,etc).
The whole point is that he knows nothing about asterisk or embedded systems and he is clearly focused on stealing all the setup we have done.
Is it ethical to create a simple program that reads something like the processor serial number, bury the program who knows where inside an init script (or even compile a C call to that binary inside asterisk) , so even if he can duplicate our box, he cannot "make it work" because something like the serial, wont match?
I ask this because we are not preventing that company to learn asterisk, embedded systems, etc and rolling their own....but, well, his intentions are so obvious.....and since everything is GPLed......
has anyone faced such situation?
--
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Erick Perez
Panama Sistemas
Integradores de Telefonia IP y Soluciones Para Centros de Datos
Panama, Republica de Panama
Cel Panama. +(507) 6694-4780
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_______________________________________________
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[email protected]
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Donations to support AstLinux are graciously accepted via PayPal to [EMAIL PROTECTED].
--
------------------------------------------------------------
Erick Perez
Panama Sistemas
Integradores de Telefonia IP y Soluciones Para Centros de Datos
Panama, Republica de Panama
Cel Panama. +(507) 6694-4780
------------------------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________ Astlinux-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.kriscompanies.com/mailman/listinfo/astlinux-users
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