Re: Possible GPL violation: novero HT-4, HT-5 (used in many Volkswagen-group cars)

[Bruce Perens]

You'd have to find a certifiably insane judge to enforce a criminal charge based upon this. Civil law might potentially work. However, enforcing it upon an individual is unlikely to be terribly effective. On any business that regularly sells the vehicles, and thus is likely to re-infringe, there is a higher probability that you might succeed. One of the companies that sells this sort of device to auto manufacturers was instructed by me to inform all of their vehicle manufacturer customers that they must respond with source to all those who make requests of the manufacturer, regardless of the age of the vehicle, since subsequent sales might happen for decades and the manufacturer was the only party likely to understand how to provide source. If VW or any other manufacturer is using the three-year limit, they are likely leaving their own dealers and customers, and casual sellers, and dealers in parts of junked vehicles in the lurch legally.     Thanks     Bruce On 12/15/2013 05:14 AM, Arnt Karlsen wrote: On Sun, 15 Dec 2013 01:18:06 +0000, Ian wrote in message <52ad034e.9030...@mauve.plus.com>: She has been negligent in her duties under the GPL, and she has in fact not complied with the license, and may in principle face a civil action from Bob - who cannot legally sell the car he's bought. She could also face possible criminal charges for copyright violation - this seems vanishingly unlikely. ..I would think that would depend how badly Bob feels about being screwed, he can easily press charges on Alice, getting her convicted is quite another challenge, but she could easily wail loudly enough in the press to get VW owners worrying about their own second hand value and VW about their first hand value. ..so in Bob's shoes, I would press those charges if I didn't like VW's response to requests for source, and in VW's shoes I would point Bob to my (VW's) source site and make him and Alice and VW share holders etc happy. ;o)