Cisco Systems has acknowledged one of its Linux-based iPhone models is not compliant with the GNU general public license (GPL) that governs use of the operating system.

Open-source software researcher Armijn Hemel, a consultant with Loohuis Consulting, alerted bloggers and the media last week that Cisco did not publish to the open-source community all the source code in the WIP300, as required by the GPL.

"Based on our investigation, Cisco is taking steps to resolve a single issue raised regarding this product's compliance with the GNU General Public License," John Earnhardt, a Cisco senior manager, said over the weekend in the company's blog. "Cisco has thoroughly investigated the other issues raised and verified the product's compliance with the GPL."

In acknowledging the problem, Earnhardt said compliance with open standards remained important to the company, and "we will continue to take necessary actions to ensure we are meeting the requirements of open-source licenses we use."