From: Timur Tabi <ttabi@interactivesi.com>
To: Rik van Riel <riel@conectiva.com.br>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Module Licensing?
Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 11:29:26 -0600 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <3BE034F6.8070201@interactivesi.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.33L.0110311505160.2963-100000@imladris.surriel.com>
Rik van Riel wrote:
> Since your program, which happens to consist of one open
> source part and one proprietary part, is partly a derived
> work from the kernel source (by using kernel header files
> and the inline functions in it) your whole work must be
> distributed under the GPL.
I contest your meaning of the word "work". The open source portion of my
module is one "work", and the closed source portion is another "work". I
could deliver these two works as separate tarballs, if I wanted.
Not only that, but the closed-source portion of my driver is not derived from
any GPL program, so the phrase "contains or is derived from the Program" does
not apply to it, because it:
1. Does not contain any part of any GPL Program
2. Is not derived from any GPL Program
>>Our open source bits are GPL because they are "derived" from the kernel
>>source, which is also GPL.
>
> "open source bits" ... from "the work as a whole" ?
The point I'm trying to make is that I can play the semantics game very
easily, and still not be forced to open-source the closed-source portions of
my driver. Because of the way Linux loads modules, I could take all the
open-source portions and link them into one .o file, and then insmod that .o
file without any problems. Then the closed-source portion would also be
insmod'ed. The only issue is that closed-source portion would fail to load if
the open-source portion is not already loaded.
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2001-10-31 17:29 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 46+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2001-10-30 3:46 Module Licensing? Kevin D. Wooten
2001-10-30 4:08 ` Ben Greear
2001-10-30 4:58 ` TimO
2001-10-30 5:10 ` Ben Greear
2001-10-30 7:24 ` Kevin D. Wooten
2001-10-30 17:27 ` Timur Tabi
2001-10-30 23:10 ` Alan Cox
2001-10-31 0:13 ` Timur Tabi
2001-10-31 0:25 ` Alan Cox
2001-10-31 16:53 ` Timur Tabi
2001-10-31 17:10 ` Rik van Riel
2001-10-31 17:22 ` Larry McVoy
2001-10-31 17:27 ` Rik van Riel
2001-10-31 18:34 ` Larry McVoy
2001-10-31 18:44 ` Rik van Riel
2001-10-31 18:53 ` Andreas Dilger
2001-10-31 20:08 ` Craig Milo Rogers
2001-10-31 17:32 ` dean gaudet
2001-10-31 19:55 ` [OT] " Craig Milo Rogers
2001-10-31 21:42 ` Cort Dougan
2001-10-31 23:47 ` Jamie Lokier
2001-10-31 23:54 ` Larry McVoy
2001-11-01 0:10 ` Jamie Lokier
2001-11-01 0:43 ` Alan Cox
2001-11-01 23:52 ` n0ano
2001-10-31 17:29 ` Timur Tabi [this message]
2001-10-31 17:37 ` Rik van Riel
2001-10-31 18:31 ` LLX
2001-11-08 0:36 ` drizzt.dourden
2001-11-08 12:41 ` Alan Cox
2001-11-08 13:19 ` Drizzt Do'Urden
2001-11-08 14:53 ` Module Licensing? (thinking a little more) Drizzt Do'Urden
2001-11-08 15:56 ` Doug McNaught
2001-11-08 17:00 ` Drizzt Do'Urden
2001-11-08 17:18 ` Russell King
2001-11-08 17:47 ` Drizzt Do'Urden
2001-11-09 7:50 ` Stefan Smietanowski
2001-11-10 18:09 ` QuoteMstr - Danny Colascione
2001-11-08 17:29 ` Doug McNaught
2001-11-08 19:28 ` drizzt.dourden
2001-10-31 20:15 ` Module Licensing? Craig Milo Rogers
2001-10-31 19:49 ` Craig Milo Rogers
2001-11-04 3:37 ` Albert D. Cahalan
2001-10-31 17:11 ` Alan Cox
2001-11-05 4:40 ` [file interface] " Roger Larsson
2001-10-30 9:22 ` Alan Cox
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