From 5ac283b54a878324454b376e9fc4d894eb1d592f 2020-10-01 17:52:25 From: Bradley M. Kuhn Date: 2020-10-01 17:52:25 Subject: [PATCH] Various typo fixes and minor textual improvements. --- diff --git a/www/conservancy/static/copyleft-compliance/enforcement-strategy.html b/www/conservancy/static/copyleft-compliance/enforcement-strategy.html index a573815b9b7165f67a1bf497fc2d9efc393a342d..bc896e35148ab4d38db9ffcdee92b3ed5a79faa4 100644 --- a/www/conservancy/static/copyleft-compliance/enforcement-strategy.html +++ b/www/conservancy/static/copyleft-compliance/enforcement-strategy.html @@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ software, and defending free software with practical initiatives. Conservancy accomplishes these goals with various initiatives, including defending and upholding the rights of software users and consumers under - copyleft licenses, such as the GPL.

+ copyleft licenses, such as the GPL.

Brief History of User-Focused GPL Enforcement

@@ -33,28 +33,28 @@ project) and Harald Welte (major contributor to Linux’s netfilter subsystem) — to enforce the GPL. Bradley - M. Kuhn, who is now Conservancy’s Policy Analyst and + M. Kuhn, who is now Conservancy’s Policy Fellow and Hacker-in-Residence, led and coordinated that coalition (when he was - Executive Director of the FSF). By early 2004, this coalition, through the + Executive Director of the FSF). By early 2004, this coalition, through the process of GPL enforcement, compelled Linksys to release an almost-GPL-compliant source release for the WRT54G. A group of volunteers - quickly built a new project, called OpenWRT based on that source - release. In the years that have followed, OpenWRT has been ported to almost + quickly built a new project, called OpenWrt based on that source + release. In the years that have followed, OpenWrt has been ported to almost every major wireless router product. Now, more than 15 years later, the - OpenWRT project routinely utilizes GPL source releases to build, improve - and port OpenWRT. The project has also joined coalitions to fight the FCC + OpenWrt project routinely utilizes GPL source releases to build, improve + and port OpenWrt. The project has also joined coalitions to fight the FCC to ensure that consumers have and deserve rights to install modified firmwares on their devices and that such hobbyist improvements are no threat to spectrum regulation.

-

Recently, OpenWRT decided to join Conservancy as one its member projects, +

Recently, OpenWrt joined Conservancy as one its member projects, and Conservancy has committed to long-term assistance to this project.

-

OpenWRT has spurred companies to create better routers and other wireless - devices than they would otherwise have designed because they now need to - either compete with hobbyists, or (better still) cooperate with them to - create hardware that fully supports OpenWRT’s features and improvements +

OpenWrt has spurred companies to create better routers and other wireless + devices than such companies would otherwise have designed because they now need to + either compete with hobbyists, or (better still) cooperate with those hobbyists to + create hardware that fully supports OpenWrt’s features and improvements (such as dealing with the dreaded “bufferbloat” bugs). This interplay between the hobbyist @@ -63,23 +63,23 @@ modify the software on their devices, the hobbyist community shrinks. Without intervention to ensure companies respect the hobbyist community, hobbyists are limited by the oft-arbitrary manufacturer-imposed - restraints in the OEM firmware. OpenWRT saved the wireless router market + restraints in the OEM firmware. OpenWrt saved the wireless router market from this disaster; we seek to help other embedded electronic subindustries avoid that fate. The authors of GPL’d software chose that license so its source is usable and readily available to hobbyists. It is our duty, as activists for the software freedom of hobbyists, to ensure these legally mandated rights are never curtailed.

-

(More on the OpenWRT project’s history and its connection to GPL +

(More on the OpenWrt project’s history and its connection to GPL enforcement can be found in Kuhn’s talk - at OpenWRT Summit 2016.)

+ at OpenWrt Summit 2016.)

Conservancy has had substantial success in leveraging more device freedom in other subindustries through GPL compliance. In 2009, Conservancy, with co-Plaintiff Erik Andersen, sued fourteen defendants in federal court under - copyright claims on behalf of its BusyBox member project. Conservancy was - able to achieve compliance for the BusyBox project in all fourteen + copyright claims on behalf of its BusyBox member project. Conservancy + achieved compliance for the BusyBox project in all fourteen cases. Most notably, the GPL-compliant source release obtained in the lawsuit for certain Samsung televisions provided the basis for the SamyGo project — an alternative @@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ his gpl-violations.org project. Harald successfully sued many companies (mostly in the wireless router industry) in Germany to achieve compliance and yield source - releases that helped OpenWRT during that period.

+ releases that helped OpenWrt during that period.

Importance of Linux Enforcement Specifically

@@ -117,9 +117,9 @@ collection.

There is one overarching irony to this growing dystopia: nearly all these - devices are based primarily on software licensed under the GPL: most + devices are based primarily on GPL'd software: most notably, Linux. While Linux-based systems do allow proprietary user-space - applications not licensed under GPL, the kernel and many other system + applications (i.e., not licensed under GPL), the kernel and many other system utilities routinely used in embedded systems, such as Conservancy’s BusyBox project, are under that license (or similar copyleft licenses such as the LGPL). These licenses require device makers to provide complete, @@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ that source code must also include “the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable”. In short, the consumers must receive all the source code and the ability to modify, recompile and reinstall that - software. Upholding of this core freedom for Linux made OpenWRT + software. Upholding of this core freedom for Linux made OpenWrt possible. We work to preserve (or, more often, restore) that software freedom for consumers of other types of electronic devices.

@@ -137,15 +137,15 @@ predatory behavior perpetuated by the manufacturers of these devices by modifying and replacing the software. Hobbyists can aid their community by providing these alternatives. People with no technical background already - replace firmware on their wireless routers with OpenWRT to both improve + replace firmware on their wireless routers with OpenWrt to both improve network performance and allay privacy concerns. Furthermore, older equipment is often saved from planned obsolescence by alternative solutions. E-recyclers like Freegeek do this regularly for desktop and laptop machines with GNU/Linux distributions like Debian, and - with OpenWRT for wireless routers. We seek to ensure they can do this for + with OpenWrt for wireless routers. We seek to ensure they can do this for other types of electronic products. However, without the complete, - corresponding source code, including the scripts to control its compilation and + corresponding source code (CCS), including the scripts to control its compilation and installation, the fundamental purpose of copyleft is frustrated. Consumers, hobbyists, non-profit e-recyclers and the general public are left without the necessary tools they need and deserve, and which the license promises @@ -277,9 +277,9 @@

Alternative Firmware Project

-

The success of the OpenWRT project, born from GPL enforcement, has an +

The success of the OpenWrt project, born from GPL enforcement, has an important component. While we’ve long hoped that volunteers, as they did - with OpenWRT and SamyGo, will take up compliant sources obtained in our GPL + with OpenWrt and SamyGo, will take up compliant sources obtained in our GPL enforcement efforts and build alternative firmware projects, history shows us that the creation of such projects is not guaranteed and exceedingly rare.