From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S263805AbTLECGm (ORCPT ); Thu, 4 Dec 2003 21:06:42 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263806AbTLECGm (ORCPT ); Thu, 4 Dec 2003 21:06:42 -0500 Received: from mail.scitechsoft.com ([63.195.13.67]:5087 "EHLO mail.scitechsoft.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S263805AbTLECGj (ORCPT ); Thu, 4 Dec 2003 21:06:39 -0500 From: "Kendall Bennett" Organization: SciTech Software, Inc. To: andersen@codepoet.org Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 18:07:59 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Subject: Re: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause? CC: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Message-ID: <3FCF77FF.5814.44720535@localhost> In-reply-to: <20031205004653.GA7385@codepoet.org> References: <20031204235055.62846.qmail@web21503.mail.yahoo.com> X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Windows (v4.02) Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Content-description: Mail message body Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Erik Andersen wrote: > On Thu Dec 04, 2003 at 03:50:55PM -0800, Paul Adams wrote: > > Unless actual Linux code is incorporated in a binary > > distribution > > in some form, I don't see how you can claim > > infringement of the > > copyright on Linux code, at least in the U.S. > > A kernel module is useless without a Linux kernel in which it can > be loaded. Once loaded, it becomes not merely an adjunct, but an > integrat part of the Linux kernel. Further, it clearly > "incorporate[s] a portion of the copyrighted work" since it can > only operate within the context of the kernel by utilizing Linux > kernel function calls. But what about the case I stated earlier for a driver that is completely binary portable between different operating systems. Hence the low level portion of the driver is not Linux specific at all, and in fact not even designed specifically with Linux in mind. That muddies the waters even more, and even Linus has said he would believe such a driver to be OK. Regards, --- Kendall Bennett Chief Executive Officer SciTech Software, Inc. Phone: (530) 894 8400 http://www.scitechsoft.com ~ SciTech SNAP - The future of device driver technology! ~