From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1751597AbVLFEMf (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Dec 2005 23:12:35 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1751598AbVLFEMf (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Dec 2005 23:12:35 -0500 Received: from mail.kroah.org ([69.55.234.183]:53399 "EHLO perch.kroah.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751596AbVLFEMf (ORCPT ); Mon, 5 Dec 2005 23:12:35 -0500 Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2005 20:12:16 -0800 From: Greg KH To: Tim Bird Cc: David Woodhouse , arjan@infradead.org, andrew@walrond.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Linux in a binary world... a doomsday scenario Message-ID: <20051206041215.GC26602@kroah.com> References: <1133779953.9356.9.camel@laptopd505.fenrus.org> <200512051826.06703.andrew@walrond.org> <1133817575.11280.18.camel@localhost.localdomain> <1133817888.9356.78.camel@laptopd505.fenrus.org> <1133819684.11280.38.camel@localhost.localdomain> <4394D396.1020102@am.sony.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <4394D396.1020102@am.sony.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.11 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Mon, Dec 05, 2005 at 03:56:06PM -0800, Tim Bird wrote: > DISCLAIMER: I'm not speaking for Sony here. Personally > I don't believe that most drivers are derivative works > of the operating systems they run with, and I don't > believe it helps Linux to assert that they are. > But, hey, it's not my kernel, and not my plan for > world domination. ;-) Why do people bring up the "derivative works" issue all the time. Are they so blind to the very simple "linking" issue that all kernel modules do when they are loaded into the kernel? That's the much simpler reason for why numerous IP lawyers of big companies that do Linux work feel that closed source Linux kernel modules are not legal. thanks, greg k-h