Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1763135AbYBZPoR (ORCPT ); Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:44:17 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S1759370AbYBZPoA (ORCPT ); Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:44:00 -0500 Received: from khc.piap.pl ([195.187.100.11]:57838 "EHLO khc.piap.pl" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1758993AbYBZPn7 (ORCPT ); Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:43:59 -0500 To: davids@webmaster.com Cc: , "Andrew Morton" , "Ingo Molnar" , "Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo" , , "Alan Cox" Subject: Re: [PATCH] 2.6.25-rc2-mm1 - fix mcount GPL bogosity. References: From: Krzysztof Halasa Date: Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:43:57 +0100 In-Reply-To: (David Schwartz's message of "Mon\, 25 Feb 2008 17\:30\:40 -0800") Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1306 Lines: 33 "David Schwartz" writes: > I don't know who told you that or why, but it's obvious nonsense, Correct. > Exports should be marked GPL if and only if they cannot be used > except in a derivative work. If it is possible to use them without taking > sufficient protectable expression, they should not be marked GPL. This isn't very obvious to me. The licence doesn't talk about GPL or non-GPL exports. It doesn't restrict the use, only distribution of the software. One is free to remove _GPL from the code and distribute it anyway (except perhaps for some DMCA nonsense). If a code is a derivative work it has to be distributed (use is not restricted) under GPL, EXPORT _GPL or not _GPL. One may say _GPL is a strong indication that all users are automatically a derivative works, but it's only that - indication. It doesn't mean they are really derivative works and it doesn't mean a module not using any _GPL exports isn't a derivative. I think introducing these _GPL symbols was a mistake in the first place. -- Krzysztof Halasa -- 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/