From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: Jeff.Haran@citrix.com (Jeff Haran) Date: Fri, 12 Jun 2015 00:13:40 +0000 Subject: Kernel contributions from organisations and individual privacy In-Reply-To: <557A1BBF.1070007@surriel.com> References: <55791A7C.1030904@mrbrklyn.com> <20150611142829.GC17984@kroah.com> <55799E35.5080608@mrbrklyn.com> <20150611153813.GA5058@kroah.com> <5579B9D3.9030208@mrbrklyn.com> <20150611175700.GF22639@kroah.com> <20150611232623.GA2026@www.mrbrklyn.com> <557A1BBF.1070007@surriel.com> Message-ID: <4E5779AD88B2F040B8A7E83ECF544D1A60330D@SJCPEX01CL03.citrite.net> To: kernelnewbies@lists.kernelnewbies.org List-Id: kernelnewbies.lists.kernelnewbies.org > -----Original Message----- > From: kernelnewbies-bounces at kernelnewbies.org [mailto:kernelnewbies- > bounces at kernelnewbies.org] On Behalf Of Rik van Riel > Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2015 4:38 PM > To: kernelnewbies at kernelnewbies.org > Subject: Re: Kernel contributions from organisations and individual privacy > > On 06/11/2015 07:26 PM, Ruben Safir wrote: > > > Not at all. You have a good point there are definitely legal > > situations other than relicensing which are problematic. > > > > Lets say Apple decides that are going to take the Linux Kernel and > > alter it extensively, in order for it to work with a new hardware > > platform that they created. And lets say don't return the code base to the > public. > > Now who is going to protect the license and sue them? You have > > literaly thousands of partiticpants who have standing now in this case. > > That means a thousand possible plaintiffs. > > s/Apple/VMware/ and you get this: > > http://sfconservancy.org/news/2015/mar/05/vmware-lawsuit/ > I don't see in that web site the amount of damages they are asking for. Maybe I missed it. Might get more money coming in for the plaintiff's lawyers if instead of asking for contributions that yield a tee shirt, it was constructed more like an investment, as in X% of total "contributions" gets the investor X% of (damages - legal fees) should they win. Might as well use the patent troll model to do some good for a change. 8^) Jeff Haran