From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.0 (2014-02-07) on aws-us-west-2-korg-lkml-1.web.codeaurora.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.5 required=3.0 tests=DKIMWL_WL_HIGH,DKIM_SIGNED, DKIM_VALID,HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,SPF_HELO_NONE, SPF_PASS,USER_AGENT_MUTT autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.0 Received: from mail.kernel.org (mail.kernel.org [198.145.29.99]) by smtp.lore.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5BE92C282CE for ; Wed, 22 May 2019 13:27:48 +0000 (UTC) Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [209.132.180.67]) by mail.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1F8AF21479 for ; Wed, 22 May 2019 13:27:48 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=kernel.org; s=default; t=1558531668; bh=pFihsh+tJjS5tSwAr/nnGYVnVdUYPzuj0xPh7L35URY=; h=Date:From:To:Cc:Subject:References:In-Reply-To:List-ID:From; b=BlMq3AjFJF9EV8EQAoXFQMEyrzjXZCwOMkEzfZuVX8NdG3Dp3w1IJwdM6b/sAAB2P gNY300UmjxmjXrH5Q8I5cJADBqY3mmqz0vuXQXFclBiBpS/KquFZU/0UX03XkyQK2b hbzDUkYd1+jj94MQrt1VhJYslmo9XUPsz13SV6rU= Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1728912AbfEVN1r (ORCPT ); Wed, 22 May 2019 09:27:47 -0400 Received: from mail.kernel.org ([198.145.29.99]:60036 "EHLO mail.kernel.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1728827AbfEVN1r (ORCPT ); Wed, 22 May 2019 09:27:47 -0400 Received: from localhost (83-86-89-107.cable.dynamic.v4.ziggo.nl [83.86.89.107]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mail.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id B0D742089E; Wed, 22 May 2019 13:27:46 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=kernel.org; s=default; t=1558531667; bh=pFihsh+tJjS5tSwAr/nnGYVnVdUYPzuj0xPh7L35URY=; h=Date:From:To:Cc:Subject:References:In-Reply-To:From; b=dw1KdXqxF0bVV6lSwwGkp9+fI2isL1QCc30OKVF4moM+L5bOIu12QJ8HqpupOYn6v 4JmyTZ1TB8QNRbT/zd35hgf5gtTOzbQLjgndgJNSfxxImcjoTYgv7h4S2r0TWn9V6Z 6BZpj34VrYxXIJF74qgw7pjLG6iKNHf9sJohR8dk= Date: Wed, 22 May 2019 15:27:44 +0200 From: Greg KH To: Richard Fontana Cc: linux-spdx@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Meta-question on GPL compliance of this activity Message-ID: <20190522132744.GD28920@kroah.com> References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.11.4 (2019-03-13) Sender: linux-spdx-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-spdx@vger.kernel.org On Tue, May 21, 2019 at 01:58:04PM -0400, Richard Fontana wrote: > I was at the LLW event in Barcelona last month but unfortunately did > not attend the workshop relating to this activity, so I apologize if > this is something that has already been considered. > > GPLv2 section 1 says: "You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of > the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided > that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an > appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact > all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any > warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this > License along with the Program." > > I have recently heard the argument that replacing a more or less > standard old-school GNU license notice, or any sort of nonstandard > pre-SPDX alternative human-oriented notice, with an SPDX license > identifier string, without explicit permission from the copyright > holder, complies with this condition, because in substance the SPDX > string embodies equivalent licensing information (and has benefits of > its own over the old-school notice). However, more conservative > interpreters of GPLv2, including some copyright holders, might argue > otherwise. Wonderful, let's debate that with any copyright holder who argues otherwise. Right now, we have all companies and developers who have seen these lines removed in their files, agree with the removal of the text. If there are any objections, we will gladly leave their files alone. Note, we can trivially change back any such file if someone objects in the future as well. Remember, we have the whole history of "the world" at our fingertips here, nothing we do is ever immutable. thanks, greg k-h