PocketBook Germany refusing requests for source code (Linux, gnu)

[Alexander Kerner]

On Mon, May 09, 2011 at 09:05:41AM +0200, Clemens Ladisch wrote:
> meesayousa at t-online.de wrote:
> > PocketBook is selling numerous kindle knock offs ...
> > Those devices use Linux and various GNU programs to provide functionality.
> > Requests for both the SDK and the sources have either been stonewalled
> > or dates for presumed releases have been given of which not a single
> > one has been kept. 
> 
> What about <http://pocketbook-free.sourceforge.net/en/sourcecode.shtml>?
> 
> Some forum posts somewhere on the internet say that this code is not
> current, and that there is neither the GPL text nor a source code offer
> shipped with the device.

This code is not complete and was not updated for a long time. For
example, there is linux kernel code for only one model (pocketbook 301,
afaik), while pocketbook sells many different models (360, 360+, 602, 603,
902, 903). There is no source code of their modifications to uboot
available. Their FBReader fork was heavily modified since the last update
of the "pocketbook-free" repository.

AFAIK, FBReader and other GPL-licensed components are dynamically linked
against their proprietary multi-purpose library libinkview. Some people
argue that this library itself is therefore subject to GPL. Can someone
confirm that?

Regards,
Alexander Kerner