Subject: Re: Can't use SYSFS for "Proprietry" driver modules !!!.
From: Steven Rostedt <rostedt@goodmis.org>
To: Paul Jackson <pj@engr.sgi.com>
Cc: arjan@infradead.org, vonbrand@inf.utfsm.cl, mrmacman_g4@mac.com,
       floam@sh.nu, gilbertd@treblig.org, LKML <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
       bunk@stusta.de
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Organization: Kihon Technologies
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 2005 19:21:11 -0500
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On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 15:43 -0800, Paul Jackson wrote:
> > Writing code that needs wrappers is not derived work, if that code can
> > also have wrappers for BSD, QNX and perhaps Windows. 
> 
> Just because it works with another O.S. doesn't mean it is not derived
> from Linux code.  Good grief.  Try your lawyer, or at least a Google
> search for something like "copyright derived work", for a better idea
> of what "derived" means.
> 

So you are saying that a stand alone section of code, that needs
wrappers to work with Linux is a derived work of Linux? If there's some
functionality, that you make, and it just happens to need some kind of
operating system to work. Does that make it a derived work of any
operating system?

OK, I took your advise and found this from googling:

http://www.pbwt.com/Attorney/files/ravicher_1.pdf

It's a good read (I recommend you to read it), and it goes back to one
of my first points, and that is the interpretation of a derived work is
basically up to the judge that is handling the case. There's nothing set
in stone here. It covers mainly US copyright law, and that's what I'm
mainly concerned with.

Unless you misunderstood me, and thought that I was talking about taking
some part of Linux and making it work under another OS, I still stand by
my statement. 

-- Steve

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