Re: btrfs-progs license

[Stefano Babic <sbabic@denx.de>]

Hi Ronnie,

On 08.12.20 11:32, ronnie sahlberg wrote:
> On Tue, Dec 8, 2020 at 7:53 PM Stefano Babic <sbabic@denx.de> wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I hope I am not OT. I ask about license for btrfs-progs and related
>> libraries. I would like to use libbtrfsutils in a FOSS project, but this
>> is licensed under GPLv3 (even not LGPL) and it forbids to use it in
>> projects where secure boot is used.
>>
>> Checking code in btrfs-progs, btrfs is licensed under GPv2 (fine !) and
>> also libbtrfs. But I read also that libbtrfs is thought to be dropped
>> from the project. And checking btrfs, this is linked against
>> libbtrfsutils, making the whole project GPLv3 (and again, not suitable
>> for many industrial applications in embedded systems).
>>
>> Does anybody explain me the conflict in license and if there is a path
>> for a GPLv2 compliant library ?
>>
> 
> There are always paths when licences conflict.
> One path I have used successfully in other projectss is just to write
> a replacement from scratch
> picking a licence I am more comfortable with.
> 

Yes, I come to the same conclusion - but before doing this, I just check
if there is an option to reuse existing code. Anyway, btrfs-progs
license already conflicts due to libbtrfutil and it should be set to
GPLv3, and in my understanding even the utility "btrfs" should be
avoided on many embedded systems if GPLv3 is not allowed (it is still
marked as GPLv2 in Openembedded). Am I right (no lawyer here !) ?

Regards,
Stefano

-- 
=====================================================================
DENX Software Engineering GmbH,      Managing Director: Wolfgang Denk
HRB 165235 Munich, Office: Kirchenstr.5, D-82194 Groebenzell, Germany
Phone: +49-8142-66989-53 Fax: +49-8142-66989-80 Email: sbabic@denx.de
=====================================================================