methods that lead to better GPL compliance.  Finally, it recommends proper

post-violation responses to the concerns of copyright holders.

\chapter{Background}

Early GPL enforcement efforts began soon after the GPL was written by

often in public Usenet discussions.\footnote{One example is the public

  outcry over NeXT's attempt to make the Objective-C front-end to GCC

which holds copyrights in many GNU programs, was the only visible entity

actively enforcing its GPL'd copyrights on behalf of the software freedom

community.

FSF's enforcement

was generally a private process; the FSF contacted violators

confidentially and helped them to comply with the license.  Most

violations were pursued this way until the early 2000's.

embedded devices such as wireless routers.  During this period, public

ridicule of violators in the press and on Internet fora supplemented

ongoing private enforcement and increased pressure on businesses to

comply.  In 2003, the FSF formalized its efforts into the GPL Compliance

Lab, increased the volume of enforcement, and built community coalitions

to encourage copyright holders to together settle amicably with violators.

Beginning in 2004, Harald Welte took a more organized public enforcement

approach and launched \verb0gpl-violations.org0, a website and mailing

list for collecting reports of GPL violations.  On the basis of these

reports, Welte successfully pursued many enforcements in Europe, including

In 2007, the SFLC filed the first U.S.~copyright infringement lawsuit

based on a violation of the GPL\@. While the lawsuits filed by SFLC on

behalf of its clients have been quite public, SFLC resolves the vast

majority of enforcement actions privately via

cooperative communications with violators.  As we have worked to bring