Re: Apple and Open Source

[Richard Stallman <rms@gnu.org>]

I think there are two issues here: the requirement to publish changes
and the requirement to notify a specific party.

The requirement to publish changes, even if the changes are not being
used by the public in any way, violates an essential privacy right.

The requirement to notify a specific party when you release a modified
version is perhaps not fatal, but I have a bad feeling about it.

    The patent clauses are curious and I can see the danger in the fact that
    Apple can keep you from ever getting a chance to fight a patent in court.
    On the other hand, Apple has granted use of an unknown number of patents
    for use in free software. This seems like a good thing.

These are two separate actions.  The latter would be a good thing, not
a problem, of course, but the former is a problem.

(Though in fact they have not granted "use in free software" of these
patents, only use in this particular software, whose freeness or not
is the question here.)