Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S263319AbTGATXL (ORCPT ); Tue, 1 Jul 2003 15:23:11 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263380AbTGATXL (ORCPT ); Tue, 1 Jul 2003 15:23:11 -0400 Received: from ext-nj2gw-5.online-age.net ([64.14.56.41]:34300 "EHLO ext-nj2gw-5.online-age.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S263319AbTGATXK (ORCPT ); Tue, 1 Jul 2003 15:23:10 -0400 Message-ID: From: "Heater, Daniel (IndSys, GEFanuc, VMIC)" To: "'G. C.'" , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: RE: How to Avoid GPL Issue Date: Tue, 1 Jul 2003 15:36:40 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2655.55) Content-Type: text/plain Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 990 Lines: 21 > We are trying to port a third party hardware driver into Linux kernel and > this third party vendor does not allow us to publish the source code. Is > there any approach that we can avoid publicizing the third party code while > porting to Linux? Do we need to write some shim layer code in Linux kernel > to interface the third party code? How can we do that? Is there any document > or samples? It depends on what you intend to do with your port. If it is only for internal use (you will not distribute the ported code in any form) then you may not be required to supply the source code to anyone. This is a common interpretation of the GPL (although I can not find explicit language providing for this interpretation in the license). - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/