Harald Welte is someone enterprise IT folks should get to know and maybe worry about. The softspoken programmer has successfully encouraged–and sometimes forced–more than 100 companies to either remove or release source code that he believed infringed on the General Public License (GPL). In 2005, his work even resulted in an injunction against security vendor Fortinet, forcing them to stop shipment of some products until they later agreed to a settlement. In the past, much of his work has been accomplished as an individual through the German court system. (He owns a copyright on some commonly used–and oft-misappropriated–code in the Linux kernel, which gives him certain legal rights.) But Welte is also pursuing cases in Taiwan, Korea and elsewhere. And he hopes later this year to launch a not-for-profit organization dedicated to pursuing GPL violations. His goal: A world where GPL violations simply don’t occur. “I would be very happy if I could spend all of my time doing kernel development rather than doing this messy work of legally enforcing the GPL…In our view, it is necessary to raise public awareness and to make cases public. If you do GPL enforcement in a very quiet way…the general IT industry doesn’t take notice and we’ll actually see more infringements rather than less… This is not a witch hunt or some kind of religious battle, it’s just making corporate users play by the rules who have for whatever reason overlooked them.”I’ve posted a podcast of my recent interview with Welte. In it, he discusses his accomplishments, his goals and his reasons for getting involved in this “messy work.” If you’ve ever considered “borrowing” open source code without properly following the license, this is something you should hear. You can also learn more about Welte’s activities in his blog. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Palo Alto Networks Operational technology systems require a robust Zero Trust strategy in 2024 Zero Trust provides a foundation for creating a stronger security posture in 2024. By Navneet Singh, vice president of marketing, network security, Palo Alto Networks Dec 05, 2023 6 mins Security brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM How digital twin technology is changing complex industrial processes forever As the use cases for digital twins proliferate, it is becoming clear that data-driven enterprises with a track record of innovation stand the best chance of success. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by AWS in collaboration with IBM Why modernising applications needs to be a ‘must’ for businesses seeking growth Around one-third of enterprises are spending heavily on application modernisation and aiming for cloud native status. The implications for corporate culture, structure and priorities will be profound. By Laura McEwan Dec 05, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation opinion 11 ways to reduce your IT costs now Reorienting IT’s budget toward future opportunities is a big reason why CIOs should review their IT portfolios with an eye toward curbing unnecessary spending and realizing maximum value from every IT investment. By Stephanie Overby Dec 05, 2023 11 mins Budget Cloud Management IT Governance Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe