From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S966264AbXBPJw0 (ORCPT ); Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:52:26 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S966277AbXBPJw0 (ORCPT ); Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:52:26 -0500 Received: from turing-police.cc.vt.edu ([128.173.14.107]:51810 "EHLO turing-police.cc.vt.edu" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S966264AbXBPJwZ (ORCPT ); Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:52:25 -0500 Message-Id: <200702160952.l1G9qMsY025262@turing-police.cc.vt.edu> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.7.2 01/07/2005 with nmh-1.2 To: v j Cc: Trent Waddington , David Lang , Scott Preece , Miguel Ojeda , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: GPL vs non-GPL device drivers In-Reply-To: Your message of "Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:25:12 PST." <9b3a62ab0702152225m3893318by95cb8b260c74bfc2@mail.gmail.com> From: Valdis.Kletnieks@vt.edu References: <9b3a62ab0702142115m4ea7d2c0m6869eb64ef3ee14e@mail.gmail.com> <20070215061149.GE15654@redhat.com> <9b3a62ab0702142227j19386132s870a0e745cfbb8d1@mail.gmail.com> <20070215165339.GB5285@thunk.org> <9b3a62ab0702151020k5bd0e4c9w763e1b01288ccc4f@mail.gmail.com> <653402b90702151102n3a3e0435r837e2191de79b2b@mail.gmail.com> <7b69d1470702151712x685f3e0eqf6198f9bb7f2394e@mail.gmail.com> <9b3a62ab0702152148p57db8b1dgd42b1c6fb15dccbb@mail.gmail.com> <3d57814d0702152157n461a9f0cta0a0c20e9a592d83@mail.gmail.com> <9b3a62ab0702152225m3893318by95cb8b260c74bfc2@mail.gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/signed; boundary="==_Exmh_1171619542_6166P"; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 04:52:22 -0500 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org --==_Exmh_1171619542_6166P Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:25:12 PST, v j said: > > It's written in black and white, in the license. > > Please point me to where it says I cannot load proprietary modules in > the Kernel. Nobody can point you there, because it doesn't say that anywhere. What you do to *your* kernel is *your* business. The question is what the code you *distribute* to *other* people does. It's perfectly legal to load proprietary modules into the kernel. The open question is whether you're allowed to ship a proprietary module to somebody else. And that will depend in *great* detail on *exactly* what your module does, what code it uses, and how it does it. As others have pointed out, NVidia and ATI think they're in an OK spot with the way *they* do *their* module, while many embedded companies, shipping a much different product, have almost unanimously given in rather than risk a court fight about the GPL. Of course, most companies will cave in and license rather than fight a patent troll as well - so you *really* need to discuss *your* case with a clueful lawyer. --==_Exmh_1171619542_6166P Content-Type: application/pgp-signature -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Exmh version 2.5 07/13/2001 iD8DBQFF1X7WcC3lWbTT17ARAntSAKCTJ9QuTM/kaV0EYjXi1LrE7keQ2wCfdfvr jOGHQsaXk9VMiCvQ26TzOls= =BtHW -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --==_Exmh_1171619542_6166P--