Red Hat's "Cowardice" against Software Patents

[Warren Togami]

Eric S. Raymond wrote:
> Warren Togami <wtogami at redhat.com>:
>> Eric, you are completely divorced from reality if you truly think this
>> is safe and prudent.  You are essentially asking Red Hat to become a
>> martyr and destroy itself.  Would that really be good for the community?
> 
> Negotiating an MP3 license with Fraunhofer (to give just one possible
> example) would not constitute self-destruction.
>  

"Fedora distributes only 100% Free and Open Source Software.  FOSS
requires software to be freely modifiable and freely redistributable.
Paying a royalty for Fedora to distribute something like MPEG for DVD
capability would make it not Free, because that removes the ability for
others to redistribute the software."

You conveniently neglected to respond to this part.  I wonder, why ESR 
the founder of the Open Source Initiative is advocating for willful 
violation and conflict with the GPL within America.

>  
>> The actions and resources Red Hat uses to fight software patents and
>> protect the future of FOSS is "corporate cowardice"?
> 
> No, but refusing to carry MP3 decoders when there is no patent block
> on them is. 
> 

Come back with a legally binding, written, perpetual, and irrevocable 
promise that Fraunhofer grants a royalty free license for FOSS to use 
MP3.  Until then, insisting that Red Hat is a "coward" by not shipping 
MP3 is essentially asking Red Hat to be a martyr and risk destroying itself.

You have a right to say or think anything you want, but nobody will 
listen if you are repeatedly irresponsible and unreasonable.

Warren Togami
wtogami at redhat.com