Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1752021AbXBRUUn (ORCPT ); Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:20:43 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1752017AbXBRUUn (ORCPT ); Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:20:43 -0500 Received: from gprs189-60.eurotel.cz ([160.218.189.60]:3846 "EHLO spitz.ucw.cz" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-FAIL) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752021AbXBRUUm (ORCPT ); Sun, 18 Feb 2007 15:20:42 -0500 Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2007 17:08:23 +0000 From: Pavel Machek To: Scott Preece Cc: Dave Neuer , davids@webmaster.com, "Linux-Kernel@Vger. Kernel. Org" Subject: Re: GPL vs non-GPL device drivers Message-ID: <20070218170822.GC3945@ucw.cz> References: <3d57814d0702152245q19e19141me0b999fb051ac7b6@mail.gmail.com> <161717d50702160912x6dc4efbahcfb02f665ae3ec8a@mail.gmail.com> <7b69d1470702161326j7f15402xfb24a741b4ff8176@mail.gmail.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <7b69d1470702161326j7f15402xfb24a741b4ff8176@mail.gmail.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.9i Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1305 Lines: 39 Hi! > >> (See, among other cases, Lexmark. v. Static > >> Controls.) A copyright is not a patent, you can only > >own something if there > >> are multiple equally good ways to do it and you claim > >*one* of them. > > > >Only in a world where "write a Linux module" is a > >"functional idea." I > >don't think that the legal world in the US is an > >example of such a > >world, though you clearly do. > --- > > "Interface the xyz device to the Linux kernel" is a > functional idea in > pretty much the same sense that the Lexmark case > involved. You > generally can't copyright functional interfaces; there > is a strong > prejudice towards allowing interoperability. You are welcome to write kernel modules without including *any* header files. That may be ok in parts of US based on precedent you cite. Somehow I do not think v j is doing, so he is violating our copyright. Seems simple to me... Pavel -- (english) http://www.livejournal.com/~pavelmachek (cesky, pictures) http://atrey.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~pavel/picture/horses/blog.html - 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/