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Tivoization is the creation of a system that incorporates software under the terms of a copyleft software license, but uses hardware to prevent users from running modified versions of the software on that hardware. Richard Stallman coined the term and believes this practice denies users some of the freedom that the GPL was designed to protect.[1] Computer software (or simply software) refers to one or more computer programs and data held in the storage of a computer for some purpose. ...
The reversed c in a full circle is the copyleft symbol. ...
A software license is a legal agreement which may take the form of a proprietary or gratuitous license as well as a memorandum of contract between a producer and a user of computer software. ...
Richard Matthew Stallman (often abbreviated as RMS) (born March 16, 1953) is a software freedom activist, hacker, and software developer. ...
The term came about in reference to TiVo's use of GPL software on TiVo brand digital video recorders (DVR). TiVo (pronounced tee-voh, IPA: ) is a popular brand of digital video recorder (DVR) in the United States. ...
Foxtel IQ, a digital video recorder and a satellite cable set-top box. ...
2006-07 debate
TiVo's software incorporates the Linux kernel and GNU software, both of which are licensed under version 2 of the GNU General Public License (GPLv2). GPLv2 requires distributors to make the corresponding source code available to each person who receives the software. The goal of this requirement is to allow users of GPL'd software to modify the software to better suit their purposes.[2] The Linux kernel is a Unix-like operating system kernel. ...
GNU (pronounced ) is a computer operating system composed entirely of free software. ...
The GNU logo The GNU General Public License (GNU GPL or simply GPL) is a widely-used free software license, originally written by Richard Stallman for the GNU project. ...
Source code (commonly just source or code) is any series of statements written in some human-readable computer programming language. ...
However, Stallman believes TiVo circumvented this goal by making their products run programs only if the program's digital signature matches those authorised by the manufacturer of the TiVo.[3] So while TiVo has complied with the GPL v.2 requirement to release the source code for others to modify, any modified software will not run on TiVo's hardware. In cryptography, a digital signature or digital signature scheme is a type of asymmetric cryptography used to simulate the security properties of a signature in digital, rather than written, form. ...
On the other hand, Linus Torvalds, the author of the Linux kernel, has argued that it is appropriate for TiVo to use digital signatures to limit what software may run on the systems that they sell. Torvalds has stated that he believes the use of private digital signatures on software are a beneficial security tool. Torvalds also believes that software licenses should only attempt to control software, not the hardware on which it runs. So long as one has access to the software, and can modify it to run on some other hardware, Torvalds believes there is nothing unethical about using digital signatures to prevent running modified copies of Linux.[4] Other Linux developers, including Alan Cox,[5] have expressed divergent opinions. Linus Benedict Torvalds ; born December 28, 1969 in Helsinki, Finland) is a Finnish software engineer best known for initiating the development of the Linux kernel. ...
Alan Cox at FOSS.IN/2005 Alan Cox (born 1968) is a computer programmer heavily involved in the development of the Linux kernel since its early days (1991). ...
Stallman and the Free Software Foundation have attempted to respond to some of these concerns. They have stated that their goal is for GPLv3 to allow private digital signatures for security purposes, but to still prevent Tivoization.
GPLv3 As a result, one of the goals of the proposed GPL Version 3 is to prevent "Tivoization". According to Eben Moglen, "the licence should prohibit technical means of evasion of its rules, with the same clarity that it prohibits legal evasion of its rules."[6] The GNU logo For other uses of GPL, see GPL (disambiguation). ...
Eben Moglen Eben Moglen is a professor of law and legal history at Columbia University, and is the founder, Director-Counsel and Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center, whose client list includes numerous pro bono clients, such as the Free Software Foundation. ...
Draft 2 of GPLv3 attempted to clarify this.[7] However, many Linux developers were still concerned that draft 2 GPLv3 may still prohibit beneficial uses of digital signatures.[8]
In the third and fourth discussion drafts of GPLv3, released March 28th and May 31st, the anti-tivoisation clause was limited so as not to apply when the software is distributed to a business.[9] Thus, medical devices and voting machines would not be covered. Linus Torvalds has said he is "pretty pleased" with the new draft and its stance on DRM.[10] Digital rights management (DRM) is an umbrella term referring to technologies used by publishers or copyright owners to control access to or usage of digital data or hardware, and to restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work or device. ...
External links NewsForge is an online newspaper for linux and open source, which is owned by the Open Source Technology Group (the same entity that owns thinkgeek. ...
The Linux kernel is a Unix-like operating system kernel. ...
Glibc is the GNU projects C standard library, licensed under the LGPL. The lead contributor and maintainer is Ulrich Drepper. ...
Eben Moglen Eben Moglen is a professor of law and legal history at Columbia University, and is the founder, Director-Counsel and Chairman of Software Freedom Law Center, whose client list includes numerous pro bono clients, such as the Free Software Foundation. ...
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