Date: Mon, 6 Apr 2009 16:25:40 +0200
From: "'maximilian attems'" <max@stro.at>
To: "Christopher J. Harrer" <charrer@alacritech.com>
Cc: "'Mithlesh Thukral'" <mithlesh@linsyssoft.com>,
       "'Linux Kernel Mailing List'" <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>,
       debian-kernel@lists.debian.org
Subject: Re: Staging: sxg: slicoss: Specify the license for Sahara SXG and Slicoss drivers
Message-ID: <20090406142540.GP3901@baikonur.stro.at>
References: <200904070037.48064.mithlesh@linsyssoft.com> <20090406135557.EA7091B4039@relay31.relay.iad.mlsrvr.com>
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On Mon, Apr 06, 2009 at 09:56:07AM -0400, Christopher J. Harrer wrote:
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mithlesh Thukral [mailto:mithlesh@linsyssoft.com] 
> Sent: Monday, April 06, 2009 3:08 PM
> To: maximilian attems
> Cc: Linux Kernel Mailing List; debian-kernel@lists.debian.org; Christopher
> Harrer
> Subject: Re: Staging: sxg: slicoss: Specify the license for Sahara SXG and
> Slicoss drivers
> 
> CCing a person who can better comment.
> 
> Cheers,
> Mithlesh Thukral
> 
> On Monday 06 April 2009 18:42:43 maximilian attems wrote:
> > On Sun, 05 Apr 2009, Linux Kernel Mailing List wrote:
> > > Gitweb:    
> > > http://git.kernel.org/linus/ba0e1ebb7ea0616eebc29d2077355bacea62a9d8
> > > Commit:     ba0e1ebb7ea0616eebc29d2077355bacea62a9d8
> > > Parent:     19be358212af35bd64d449da82279874099a1a85
> > > Author:     Mithlesh Thukral <mithlesh@linsyssoft.com>
> > > AuthorDate: Wed Mar 25 15:52:54 2009 +0530
> > > Committer:  Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@suse.de>
> > > CommitDate: Fri Apr 3 14:54:38 2009 -0700
> > >
> > >     Staging: sxg: slicoss: Specify the license for Sahara SXG and 
> > > Slicoss drivers
> > >
> > >     Specify a license for the Alacritech Sahara (10Gbe) and SLICOSS
> > > (1GBE) firmware files.
> > >
> > >     Signed-off-by: Christopher Harrer <charrer@alacritech.com>
> > >     Signed-off-by: Mithlesh Thukral <mithlesh@linsyssoft.com>
> > >     Signed-off-by: Greg Kroah-Hartman <gregkh@suse.de>
> > > ---
> > >  firmware/WHENCE |   33 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
> > >  1 files changed, 30 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)
> > >
> > > diff --git a/firmware/WHENCE b/firmware/WHENCE index 
> > > df79422..d6c227d 100644
> > > --- a/firmware/WHENCE
> > > +++ b/firmware/WHENCE
> > > @@ -372,7 +372,21 @@ File: slicoss/oasisdbgdownload.sys.ihex
> > >  File: slicoss/oasisdownload.sys.ihex
> > >  File: slicoss/oasisrcvucode.sys.ihex
> > >
> > > -Licence: Unknown
> > > +Licence:
> > > +		Copyright (C) 1999-2009 Alacritech, Inc.
> > > +
> > > +	as an unpublished work. This notice does not imply unrestricted or
> > > +	public access to the source code from which this firmware image is
> > > +	derived.  Except as noted below this firmware image may not be
> > > +	reproduced, used, sold or transferred to any third party without
> > > +	Alacritech's prior written consent.  All Rights Reserved.
> > > +
> > > +	Permission is hereby granted for the distribution of this firmware
> > > +	image as part of a Linux or other Open Source operating system
> kernel
> > > +	in text or binary form as required.
> > > +
> > > +	This firmware may not be modified and may only be used with
> > > +	Alacritech hardware.
> >
> > have you read what you say?
> >
> > the last paragraph disables the distribution right, due beeing only 
> > allowed to be touched on alacritech hardware.
> >
> > i'm certainly not buying anything from alacritech, but would want to 
> > disbribute your fimware in Debian in the nonfree firmware-linux 
> > package for the benefit of your customers.
> > -> http://packages.debian.org/sid/firmware-linux
> >
> > >  Found in hex form in kernel source.
> > >
> > > @@ -383,10 +397,23 @@ Driver: SXG - Alacritech IS-NIC products
> > >  File: sxg/saharadownloadB.sys.ihex
> > >  File: sxg/saharadbgdownloadB.sys.ihex
> > >
> > > -Licence: Unknown
> > > +Licence:
> > > +		Copyright (C) 1999-2009 Alacritech, Inc.
> > > +
> > > +	as an unpublished work. This notice does not imply unrestricted or
> > > +	public access to the source code from which this firmware image is
> > > +	derived.  Except as noted below this firmware image may not be
> > > +	reproduced, used, sold or transferred to any third party without
> > > +	Alacritech's prior written consent.  All Rights Reserved.
> > > +
> > > +	Permission is hereby granted for the distribution of this firmware
> > > +	image as part of a Linux or other Open Source operating system
> kernel
> > > +	in text or binary form as required.
> > > +
> > > +	This firmware may not be modified and may only be used with
> > > +	Alacritech hardware.
> >
> > same trouble,
> > nuke the "and may only be used with Alacritech hardware."
> Hello All,
> 
> I apologize in advance for the trouble this is causing.  We used an existing
> license in the WHENCE file as a template for our text.  The intention of our
> wording is not to limit the actual distribution of the firmware file; but to
> control the platform(s) the firmware file may be executed on (as opposed to
> stored).
> 
> Would changing to the wording to "This firmware may not be modified and may
> only be loaded to and executed on Alacritech hardware" be more clear? 
> 
> Other suggestions, short of removing the line altogether?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Chris Harrer 
> 

removing the line altogether seems the easiest solution for your users.

if they've gone through the trouble to copy the hardware and modify the
firmware to work w/ that.. are they really going to care about violating
the license?
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