French court issues damages award for violation of GPL (heathermeeker.com)

Article summary

A French court has ordered Orange, a major French telecom provider, to pay €500,000 in compensatory damages and €150,000 for moral damages for violating the GPL by using Entr'Ouvert's Lasso software without making the source code of its modifications available. The case, which has been ongoing for many years, was initially rejected by the Appeals Court but was later overturned by the Court of Cassation. The court's decision is seen as a significant win for open-source software developers. The damages awarded are based on lost profits and disgorgement of profits.

Main themes

• GPL violation
• Open-source software
• French court system
• Intellectual property rights
• Damages and compensation

What commenters say

• The French court system is slow and inefficient, taking 14 years to resolve the case, which undermines the effectiveness of the justice system.
• The damages awarded are too low and may not be a sufficient deterrent for companies to comply with open-source software licenses.
• The court's decision sets a precedent for the enforcement of GPL licenses and provides clarity on the application of the law in similar cases.
• The case highlights the importance of respecting intellectual property rights and the consequences of violating them, even if it takes a long time for justice to be served.
• The French court system's approach to precedent is different from common law systems, and the decision may not be binding in future cases, but it still provides guidance on how to apply the law.
• The cost of litigation and the time spent on the case may outweigh the benefits of pursuing a lawsuit, making it a costly and time-consuming process for all parties involved.