Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1161324AbWI2GUq (ORCPT ); Fri, 29 Sep 2006 02:20:46 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1161419AbWI2GUq (ORCPT ); Fri, 29 Sep 2006 02:20:46 -0400 Received: from emailer.gwdg.de ([134.76.10.24]:25500 "EHLO emailer.gwdg.de") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1161324AbWI2GUp (ORCPT ); Fri, 29 Sep 2006 02:20:45 -0400 Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:08:58 +0200 (MEST) From: Jan Engelhardt To: Linus Torvalds cc: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?J=F6rn_Engel?= , Lennart Sorensen , Chase Venters , Sergey Panov , Patrick McFarland , Theodore Tso , Alan Cox , James Bottomley , linux-kernel Subject: Re: GPLv3 Position Statement In-Reply-To: Message-ID: References: <1158941750.3445.31.camel@mulgrave.il.steeleye.com> <1159415242.13562.12.camel@sipan.sipan.org> <200609272339.28337.chase.venters@clientec.com> <20060928135510.GR13641@csclub.uwaterloo.ca> <20060928141932.GA707@DervishD> <20060928144028.GA21814@wohnheim.fh-wedel.de> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-Spam-Report: Content analysis: 0.0 points, 6.0 required _SUMMARY_ Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1531 Lines: 37 > >And the GPLv2 and GPLv3 really _are_ mutually incompatible. There is >absolutely nothing in the GPLv2 that is inherently compatible with the >GPLv3, and the _only_ way you can mix code is if you explicitly >dual-license it. > >Ie, GPLv2 and GPLv3 are compatible only the same way GPLv2 is compatible >with a commercial proprietary license: they are compatible only if you >release the code under a dual license. > >The whole "or later" phrase is legally _no_ different at all from a dual >licensing (it's just more open-ended, and you don't know what the "or >later" will be, so you're basically saying that you trust the FSF >implicitly). So what would happen if I add an essential GPL2-only file to a "GPL2 or later" project? Let's recall, a proprietary program that combines/derives with GPL code makes the final binary GPL (and hence the source, etc. and whatnot, don't stretch it). Question: The Linux kernel does have GPL2 and GPL2+later combined, what does this make the final binary? (Maybe you implicitly answered it by this already, please indicate): >Exactly. The GPLv3 can _only_ take over a GPLv2 project if the "or later" >exists. >From that I'd say it remains GPL2 only. Thanks for the clarification (though I know we're all IANALs.) Jan Engelhardt -- - 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/