We've been slashdotted a few times for other reasons (the Sony GPL Violation was one), the site has no problem with getting slammed. We've held off on public awareness campaigns for the moment, only because we' keep getting threatened by the CEO with being sued every time we talk about mentioning this to anyone. Once our attorney assures us we are in the clear, the broader campaign will commence.
The problem with the copyright assignment is that we're spreading the copyright too thin at that point. There are eight (8) or so of us on the team, and we've already filed US Copyright documents with the copyright office ("dead-tree" versions, signed in blue ink, with the required two printed copies of the source included), but re-assigning copyright to the FSF would weaken our position in the short term.
It tends to be a delicate issue, but the interesting part is how the licensing and your rights actually get stronger when the original GPL license is violated.. (every copy re-distributed/sold/etc. after a GPL violation is found, is now a US copyright violation, outside the reach of the GPL, but now well within the reach of the DMCA and Lanham Act).
At this point, my concern is to continue getting releases out, make the customers aware that the software was written by us, not by $COMPANY, and that we are the copyright holders, not $COMPANY. To affront the lawsuit threats we've been hearing, it's going to be good to be prepared financially and legally, for whatever will ensue, by making it possible for others to help us out with donations/etc.
The CEO has already said directly that he has millions of investor dollars to take to court with him, and his intention is to bankrupt us. There's something very fishy going on here. We simply asked for compliance with the license, and for that request, are being threatened with lawsuits. Doesn't quite sound right, unless someone's guilty, and trying to mute the developers with baseless threats.
Keep the great ideas, comments, and support coming. | [reply] |
