[Pdns-users] Warp3 Hosting violates the GPL

[Nico van Royen]

tehdecline at hotmail.com:
For the record, these pages from the hosted version where already removed from our public-servers.com site since Feb 26 07:30 (after your PM's on the AWBS forums) untill it can comply with GPL.
The freshmeat pages have also been altered by yesterday (since that was kinda forgotten), but thats still pending aproval from freshmeat admins.

Regards,
Nico
WARP3.COM Hosting, DNS & Domain services
  _____  

From: tehdecline at hotmail.com [mailto:tehdecline at hotmail.com]
To: pdns-users at mailman.powerdns.com
Sent: Mon, 24 Mar 2008 12:30:14 +0100
Subject: [Pdns-users] Warp3 Hosting violates the GPL

Although I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, I hope 
  that someone here can give some advice regarding the following.
  During my search for a powerdns management solution it came to my 
  attention that a company called "warp3" has rebranded a gpl powerdns 
  frontend with some modifications to its code.
  
  Now, I wouldn't consider to be much of a problem, if it wasn't for the 
  following.
  
  In addition to rebranding the templates, they have encrypted the backend 
  with ioncube and charge users a monthly fee for a "leased license".
  
  If anyone wants to see for himself, just check out the diff patch I 
  posted on http://pastebin.ca/896719
  
  When i asked them to show me their source code they refused, stating the 
  following.
  
  
  =========================
  I Don't think you fully understand the scope of the GPL.
  
  The application that You are selling is albeit heavily modified, still a
  derivative work and thereby covered by sections 2A and 2B of the GPL
  
  warp3 wrote:
   >
   > Not Entirely correct.
   >
   > The code has been heavily modified to work with PHP5 and usage has
   > been expanded to work with Secondary DNS management, FallBack MX and
   > an Expired Domain grabber.
   >
   > Regards,
   > "warp3"
   >
   >  "Me" wrote:
   >> Just for the record, I know what you did.
   >>
   >> http://pastebin.ca/896719
   >>
   >> According to this patch your code is simply a repackaged version of
   >> Copyleft software.
   >>
   >> You are currently in violation according to the terms of the GPL.
   >>
   >>
   >> "Me" wrote:
   >>> PLease provide me with the sources of DNSmanager 0.12a.
   >>>
   >>
   >>
   >>
   >
   >
  
  
  =========================
  
  After this I haven't heard back from them.
  
  Now, for now i'll just take it that this is just someone who didnt 
  understand the gpl license with no other malicious intent, but is there 
  any way I could get them to force them to open their sources?
  
  
  PowerDNS Administration - http://sourceforge.net/projects/powerdnsadmin  
  (The original project)
  
  Public DNS Administrator - 
  http://sourceforge.net/projects/publicdnsadmin (The Public DNS Fork)
  
  DNSmanager - http://freshmeat.net/projects/dnsmanager/ ( Blatant GPL 
  leeches.)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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