- #STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE UPDATE#
- #STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE SOFTWARE#
- #STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE CODE#
- #STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE LICENSE#
However, ChessBase is ignoring the fact that they no longer have the right to distribute Stockfish, modified or unmodified, as part of their products.
#STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE LICENSE#
Due to Chessbase’s repeated license violations, leading developers of Stockfish have terminated their GPL license with ChessBase permanently. Even though we had our first successes, leading to a recall of the Fat Fritz 2 DVD and the termination of the sales of Houdini 6, we were unable to finalize our dispute out of court. In the past four months, we, supported by a certified copyright and media law attorney in Germany, went through a long process to enforce our license. These rights are explicit in the license and include access to the corresponding sources, and the right to reproduce, modify and distribute GPLed programs royalty-free.
#STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE SOFTWARE#
ChessBase repeatedly violated central obligations of the GPL, which ensures that the user of the software is informed of their rights. Indeed, few customers know they obtained a modified version of Stockfish when they paid for Fat Fritz 2 or Houdini 6 – both Stockfish derivatives – and they thus have good reason to be upset. We have come to realize that ChessBase concealed from their customers Stockfish as the true origin of key parts of their products (see also earlier blog posts by us and the joint Lichess, Leela Chess Zero, and Stockfish teams). Unfortunately, not everybody shares this vision of openness. We license our software using the GNU General Public License, Version 3 (GPL) with the intent to guarantee all chess enthusiasts the freedom to use, share and change all versions of the program. Collaboration is what made this engine the strongest chess engine in the world. The Stockfish team” Stockfish announced the lawsuit against ChessBase nearly a year ago: “ The Stockfish project strongly believes in free and open-source software and data.
#STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE UPDATE#
Stock, Lenbachplatz 7 D-80316 München We inform interested parties that the public is permitted to attend and will update on the progress made.
The hearing is scheduled to take place on Monday, July 4th, 2022, 11am in Munich (Germany): Landgericht München I Sitzungssaal 101, 1. We have applied to the court to order ChessBase to cease distributing Stockfish in all forms, including Fat Fritz 2 and Houdini 6, as the GPLv3 license has been terminated permanently according to section 8, and to cover our legal expenses. GPLv3 requires that the user is informed of their rights, has access to the corresponding sources, and has the right to reproduce, modify and distribute GPLed programs royalty-free.
#STOCKFISH CHESS LICENSE CODE#
In recent months, we have presented to the court detailed evidence that the ChessBase products Houdini 6 and Fat Fritz 2 have copied extensive parts of the Stockfish code base authored by the plaintiffs and that ChessBase repeatedly violated central obligations of the GPLv3 license. The court hearing in the case Tord Romstad and Stéphane Nicolet vs. Read more: Stockfish wins the TCEC Season 22 Superfinal by 19 points / All computer chess news Stockfish announcement for Public Hearing: “As announced nearly one year ago, leading Stockfish developers have filed suit against ChessBase to enforce their license termination after repeated copyright violation by ChessBase. ChessBase GmbH will take place on Monday, July 4th, and Stockfish calls all interested parties to attend the hearing. Leading Stockfish developers have filed suit against ChessBase to enforce their license termination claiming Chessbase has “repeatedly violated central obligations of the GPLv3 license”.
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