From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S932852AbWLNQRw (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:17:52 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S932853AbWLNQRw (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:17:52 -0500 Received: from emailhub.stusta.mhn.de ([141.84.69.5]:4913 "HELO mailout.stusta.mhn.de" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with SMTP id S932852AbWLNQRv (ORCPT ); Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:17:51 -0500 Date: Thu, 14 Dec 2006 17:17:50 +0100 From: Adrian Bunk To: Linus Torvalds Cc: Greg KH , Jonathan Corbet , Andrew Morton , Martin Bligh , "Michael K. Edwards" , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patches for 2.6.19] Message-ID: <20061214161750.GB3388@stusta.de> References: <20061214003246.GA12162@suse.de> <22299.1166057009@lwn.net> <20061214005532.GA12790@suse.de> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.13 (2006-08-11) Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Wed, Dec 13, 2006 at 08:15:59PM -0800, Linus Torvalds wrote: >... > The fact is, the reason I don't think we should force the issue is very > simple: copyright law is simply _better_off_ when you honor the admittedly > gray issue of "derived work". It's gray. It's not black-and-white. But > being gray is _good_. Putting artificial black-and-white technical > counter-measures is actually bad. It's bad when the RIAA does it, it's bad > when anybody else does it. >... One important question is: Who gets in danger due to this grey area? E.g. if I'd consider it important enough to stop Ubuntu from distributing kernels and binary-only modules, I wouldn't try the difficult task to take legal actions against a company located on the Isle of Man. The trick is to let a lawyer send cease and desist letters to people distributing the infringing software for 1 Euro at Ebay. The nice thing about cease and desist letters is that the one who accepts one has to pay the > 1000 Euro costs for the lawyer for this letter. Another lucrative task for the lawer would be to send cease and desist letters to people running mirrors located in Germany distributing the infringing software. > Linus cu Adrian -- "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days. "Only a promise," Lao Er said. Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed