What good is VNC's GPL?

[Adam Moore]

Ok I am going to respond to you Mr. "Smith".  We have not responded to
you because we feel you are actually not "Bob Smith".  After doing
some research your business does not exist.  We have a guess of who
you are.  We are pretty sure you are someone who continually barrages
our product with threats and posts in OUR forums telling people how
bad our product is.  Your website continually tries to disparage our
product when we have done nothing to you.  We are trying to conduct a
business without trying to stoop to your level.  Truthfully your facts
need to be straight.  RealVNC has not contacted us.  We have tried
contacting them, but they are probably too busy.  If they were to
contact us we would be happy to get into a discussion with them about
our product.  What it comes down to sir is that it is really none of
your business the tactics that RealVNC takes.  It is up to them and
they will decide what they want to do with their product.  This is a
list for helping people with problems and that is what we have tried
to do.  I would appreciate it if you would keep posts here to that
topic.  This will be the last time I will respond to you about this
matter.  If you have anything that has to do with problems with
RealVNC in itself I will be more than happy to assist you.

I have to apologize again to this list for errant traffic that really
doesn't have to do with this list.

-- 
Adam Moore
Public Relations Coordinator
SmartCode Solutions, VNC Manager
Adam_Moore "at" S-code.com
www.s-code.com
On Apr 2, 2005 6:21 AM, Bob Smith <sendjunkmailshere "at" gmail.com> wrote:
> I've posted to this list numerous times and I've asked the company
> that uses VNC source code to create their own ActiveX control both in
> public here and in personal emails.  All that I want is compliance
> with the GPL so that I can have the source code to their ActiveX
> control.
> 
> The guys at realVNC seem not to mind that they are not releasing the
> source code.  Does this mean that VNC code is a free for all, now?
> Are we all allowed to copy as much of it as we want and sell it as our
> own product with no risk of legal action?
> 
> I wanted to make a free website that all of us could have found very
> usefull but I need that source code to do it.  Smartcode has ignored
> every request both here in the list and in documented emails.  This is
> in direct violation of the GPL.   I am on the east coast of the USA so
> there's very little that I can do to a single code theif in Singapore
> (the guy behind smart code) but this is the time for the authors at
> Real VNC to either stand up for the GPL or just release the code as
> freely copyable.
> 
> You can't selectively enforce the GPL and expect it to hold any weight
> in the courts.  I know the the guys at smartcode monitor this list
> becase I see them posting here often.  There are a few other
> "companies" that are stealing VNC code and reselling it as their own,
> also.  Can I just rename key function names and call it my own
> product, too?
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