possible GNU licence violation in "Netleverage Thinpoint and/or Universal Desktop" - voilation relates to both rdesktop and CUPS(apple)

[buzz <davidbuzz gmail com>]

Hello All, 
I have come across a piece of software that appears to violate the GPL (and possibly the LGPL).
I am attempting to advise you all, as instructed in the following link:
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html

If you re not the responsible parties for this in regard to rdesktop(matthewm), and CUPS(apple), please forward this to the party yout think is responsible for following licence violations up.!

Thanks,
David B.

The software of concern is the Thinpoint aka AppsPoint aka Netpoint aka Universal Desktop aka Desktra software, all of these are by Netleverage.
Please note, I mention all these software titles as it's very difficult to differentiate these products, but I will provide precise details on how I come to suspect most or all of these:

The steps I performed to become aware of the possible violation are:

• Using a Mac computer, I visited the netleverage site, and clicked the 'products' link.

http://www2.netleverage.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=85&Itemid=93

• I went to the "universal desktop" section, and selected the "online demo" tab.

• I followed the instruction there-in to login to the "Thinpoint Desktra online demo" with username tptest and password tptest.

• After "trust"-ing the java component of the product to run, it gave me a remote windows desktop, and an "application launcher" delivered as an X11 application.

• I then reviewed the files that it "installed" to my computer as part of this client install, and found them in a folder called ".NativeStart" in my homefolder.

• One of the files in this folder was a Mach-O bundle i386 file called "MacPoint" that is the major cause of concern.    When I run this application, it states:

./MacPoint
NetLeverage AppsPoint Linux Desktop client.
Based on ThinPoint server, rdesktop client, GTK+2, CUPS and RDP.

Performing a "strings" of this binary identified a number of references to rdesktop, windowmanagers, and printing , which supports the statement that the above application makes.


So, in trying to identify the binary, I had to use the titles Universal Desktop and Desktra, and the binary itself identified itself as being part of AppsPoint and ThinPoint (and Linux, even though I'm on a Mac!), but all of these are Netleverage titles, so the entity that appreas to be in violation is clear, even if the precise name of the software title is not.

So, I will now give as much info as I have been able to determine regarding answering the questions that the GNU URL above lists:

• Does the distribution contain a copy of the License?

no, not that I have ben able to determine.

• Does it clearly state which software is covered by the License? Does it say anything misleading, perhaps giving the impression that something is covered by the License when in fact it is not?

no, not that I have ben able to determine.

• Is source code included in the distribution?

no, definitely not.

• Is a written offer for source code included with a distribution of just binaries?

just binaries, and a couple of shell scripts, one of which is called xinitrc, and has this string in it: "# $Id: xinitrc,v 1.1.1.1 2005/02/24 22:35:39 akosut Exp $"

• Is the available source code complete, or is it designed for linking in other non-free modules?

no souce code at all, so its clearly incomplete.

If there seems to be a real violation, the next thing you need to do is record the details carefully:

• the precise name of the product

see above. I think I would refer to this as "MacPoint"?

• the name of the person or organization distributing it

NetLeverage Pty Ltd

Address:

17 International Business Centre

Australian Technology Park, Garden St.

Eveleigh, NSW, 1430

Australia

			CEO: Mr Stephen Hasani

Telephone:	(+612) 9209 4446
Fax:	(+612) 9209 4399

• email addresses, postal addresses and phone numbers for how to contact the distributor(s)

see above.

• the exact name of the package whose license is violated

both rdesktop and  CUPS

• how the license was violated:
  • Is the copyright notice of the copyright holder included?
  No
  
  • Is the source code completely missing?
  Yes.
  
  • Does the written offer for source, if given, only give a website and/or FTP site where to download the source?
  No offer given.
  
  • Is there a copy of the license included in the distribution?
  No.
  
  • Is some of the source available, but not all? If so, what parts are missing?
  None available.
  

And finally, I have confirmed that both of these products ( CUPS and rdesktop)  are licenced under the GPL, but GTK+2 is not, and thus it's licence has not been violated.

rdesktop License :
                                                    GNU General Public License (GPL)  ( http://sourceforge.net/projects/rdesktop/ )

extract from CUPS licence info: (http://www.cups.org/documentation.php/license.html )
The Common UNIX Printing SystemTM,
("CUPSTM"), is provided under the GNU General Public
License ("GPL") and GNU Library General Public License ("LGPL"),
Version 2, with exceptions for Apple operating systems and the
OpenSSL toolkit. ....You must provide source for any
changes or additions to the software, and all code must be
provided under the GPL or LGPL as appropriate.....
Apple Inc. owns CUPS as of February 2007.

extract from GTK+2 licence info:
GTK+2 uses the LGPL allowing development of both free and
	  proprietary software with GTK+ without any license fees or
	  royalties.


Sorry for the long-winded email, bnut I wanted to be thorough.

David Bussenschutt
concerned netizen.