Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S261334AbVDILTO (ORCPT ); Sat, 9 Apr 2005 07:19:14 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S261335AbVDILTO (ORCPT ); Sat, 9 Apr 2005 07:19:14 -0400 Received: from [81.168.75.8] ([81.168.75.8]:13703 "EHLO henning.makholm.net") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S261334AbVDILTK (ORCPT ); Sat, 9 Apr 2005 07:19:10 -0400 To: , , Subject: Re: non-free firmware in kernel modules, aggregation and unclear copyright notice. Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT References: From: Henning Makholm Date: Sat, 09 Apr 2005 12:19:06 +0100 In-Reply-To: (David Schwartz's message of "Fri, 8 Apr 2005 13:48:15 -0700") Message-ID: <874qegkxjp.fsf@kreon.lan.henning.makholm.net> User-Agent: Gnus/5.1007 (Gnus v5.10.7) Emacs/21.3 (gnu/linux) MIME-Version: 1.0 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1406 Lines: 29 Scripsit "David Schwartz" >> I think the "derivative work" angle is a red herring. I do not think >> that either of the two parts that are being linked together (i.e. the >> driver and the firmware) are derivates of the other. The relevant >> point is that distribution of the linked _result_ is nevertheless >> subject to the condition in GPL #2, which is in general the only >> source we have for a permission to distribute a non-verbatim-source >> form of the driver. > If the thing distributed is not the covered work and not a > derivative work, why does the GPL apply to it at all? You are free to not apply the GPL to it. However, then you cannot legally copy it at all, because it contains part of the original author's copyrightedwork and therefore can only legally be copied with the permission of the author. -- Henning Makholm "The great secret, known to internists and learned early in marriage by internists' wives, but still hidden from the general public, is that most things get better by themselves. Most things, in fact, are better by morning." - 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/