Ask HN: crowdsourced GPL enforcement?
Having bought yet another Android device for which the manufacturer refuses to release source in compliance with the GPL, I had an idea: make it not worthwhile to import and sell non-compliant devices.
So:
- contact copyright holders in Australia (where I live)
- arrange their co-operation with a lawsuit against a large retailer that's importing non-compliant devices
- crowdsource the funding to hire a good lawyer
- attempt to use the existing IP-protection laws in Australia against importers of non-compliant devices (e.g. customs seizure, criminal charges, that sort of thing)
This leads to a whole bunch of questions ... has anyone tried a similar idea? Did it work? Why? Can anyone recommend a good IP lawyer in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia?