Message-ID: <4059F863.3040206@am.sony.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 11:28:35 -0800
From: Tim Bird <tim.bird@am.sony.com>
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To: Mike Fedyk <mfedyk@matchmail.com>
CC: Steve Longerbeam <stevel@mvista.com>, Dave Jones <davej@redhat.com>,
       LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: new special filesystem for consideration in 2.6/2.7
References: <40462AA1.7010807@mvista.com> <4048C245.7060009@mvista.com> <20040305184203.GB26176@redhat.com> <4048CE25.8010705@mvista.com> <404A919C.3070501@matchmail.com>
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Mike Fedyk wrote:
> Steve Longerbeam wrote:
>> Dave Jones wrote:
>>> Without commenting on the code, the biggest thing holding back
>>> inclusion of this is likely the comment about there likely being
>>> patents held on parts of that code.
>>
>> Dave, true MV has a patent pending, but it would only affect any 
>> future use
>> of the technology in a _non GPL_ operating system. Used in Linux or any
>> future GPL software, no patent licenses or royalties are involved at all.
> 
> A statement in legal terms should be in the patch.

This statement is in a comment at the top of every file in
the patch:

  * This software is being distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public
  * License version 2.  Some or all of the technology encompassed by this
  * software may be subject to one or more patents pending as of the date of
  * this notice.  No additional patent license will be required for GPL
  * implementations of the technology.  If you want to create a non-GPL
  * implementation of the technology encompassed by this software, please
  * contact legal@mvista.com for details including licensing terms and fees.

I believe that this meets any required legal criteria for unencumbered
use in the Linux kernel (or other GPL projects).

=============================
Tim Bird
Architecture Group Co-Chair
CE Linux Forum
Senior Staff Engineer
Sony Electronics
E-mail: Tim.Bird@am.sony.com
=============================

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