From: Daniel Hazelton <dhazelton@enter.net>
To: Anders Larsen <al@alarsen.net>
Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 11:46:33 -0400
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Cc: Alexandre Oliva <aoliva@redhat.com>, Ingo Molnar <mingo@elte.hu>,
       Alan Cox <alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>,
       Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org>,
       Greg KH <greg@kroah.com>, debian developer <debiandev@gmail.com>,
       david@lang.hm, Tarkan Erimer <tarkan@netone.net.tr>,
       linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Andrew Morton <akpm@linux-foundation.org>
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On Monday 18 June 2007 04:49:56 Anders Larsen wrote:
> On Sat, 16 Jun 2007 22:54:56 -0300, Alexandre Oliva wrote:
> > I don't know any law that requires tivoization.
>
> Not exactly laws, but pretty close:
>
> Credit-card payment terminals are subject to strict security
> certification, where it has to be ensured that
>
> a) the user cannot tinker with the device without rendering it unusable
> for its original purpose (electronic payments), and
>
> b) the manufacturer is able to update the device _in_ _the_ _field_.
>
> Those are hard requirements imposed by the banks and credit-card companies.
>
> We _are_ allowed to disclose the source code (and we do, of course) so
> that it can be used for other purposes, and of course the user can modify
> it. But there's just no way she would be (legally) able to run the
> modified software in the same device for the original purpose.

And with the current laws it wouldn't just be the user that is charged with a 
crime, but the company. For "Facilitating the commission of a crime". (btw, 
that is how, in the US, companies that provide "Full Automatic" conversion 
kits are prosecuted. (You can't be touched for providing instructions on how 
to do it - "Freedom of Speech" and all that, but...)

DRH

> With the (current draft of) GPLv3 we could not legally use Linux on such
> devices.
>
> Cheers
>  Anders


-- 
Dialup is like pissing through a pipette. Slow and excruciatingly painful.
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