Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1422790AbWA1CGl (ORCPT ); Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:06:41 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1422791AbWA1CGl (ORCPT ); Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:06:41 -0500 Received: from smtp.osdl.org ([65.172.181.4]:8103 "EHLO smtp.osdl.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1422790AbWA1CGk (ORCPT ); Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:06:40 -0500 Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 21:06:13 -0500 (EST) From: Linus Torvalds To: Alan Cox cc: Chase Venters , "linux-os \\(Dick Johnson\\)" , Kyle Moffett , Marc Perkel , "Jeff V. Merkey" , Patrick McLean , Stephen Hemminger , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: GPL V3 and Linux - Dead Copyright Holders In-Reply-To: <1138387136.26811.8.camel@localhost> Message-ID: References: <43D114A8.4030900@wolfmountaingroup.com> <20060120111103.2ee5b531@dxpl.pdx.osdl.net> <43D13B2A.6020504@cs.ubishops.ca> <43D7C780.6080000@perkel.com> <43D7B20D.7040203@wolfmountaingroup.com> <43D7B5C4.5040601@wolfmountaingroup.com> <43D7D05D.7030101@perkel.com> <1138387136.26811.8.camel@localhost> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1907 Lines: 52 On Fri, 27 Jan 2006, Alan Cox wrote: > On Mer, 2006-01-25 at 17:39 -0500, Linus Torvalds wrote: > > In other words: the _default_ license strategy is always just the > > particular version of the GPL that accompanies a project. If you want to > > license a program under _any_ later version of the GPL, you have to state > > so explicitly. Linux never did. > > Not correct. See section 9. Sorry, I think you're wrong. We've _always_ said which license explicitly. It's in the COPYING file. Even before the clarification, the COPYING file has always said GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE Version 2, June 1991 Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies ... at the very top. How can you say that we didn't specify a version? If you distribute a program, and you just say "I license this under the GPL", THEN you don't specify a verion. But if you distribute a program, and the ONLY license that is associated with it is a specific version of a license file, then that's what you have, UNLESS SOMETHING SAYS OTHERWISE. This is basic copyright law, btw, and has nothing to do with the GPL per se. If you don't have a license, you don't have any copyright AT ALL. Linux kernel files don't say "This is licensed under the GPL". Not mine, at least. I don't see the point, and I never have. There's a COPYING file that specifies what the license is, and that COPYING file very much specifies a very _specific_ version of the GPL. Always has. Linus - 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/