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Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 13:45:40 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alexander Viro <viro@math.psu.edu>
To: Rik van Riel <riel@conectiva.com.br>
cc: Linus Torvalds <torvalds@transmeta.com>,
       Rob Landley <landley@trommello.org>,
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       Martin.Bligh@us.ibm.com, William Lee Irwin III <wli@holomorphy.com>,
       linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: large page patch (fwd) (fwd)
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On Tue, 13 Aug 2002, Rik van Riel wrote:

> Suppose somebody sends you a patch which implements a nice
> algorithm that just happens to be patented by that same
> somebody.  You don't know about the patent.
> 
> You integrate the patch into the kernel and distribute it,
> one year later you get sued by the original contributor of
> that patch because you distribute code that is patented by
> that person.
> 
> Not having some protection in the license could open you
> up to sneaky after-the-fact problems.

Accepting non-trivial patches from malicious source means running code
from malicious source on your boxen.  In kernel mode.  And in that case
patents are the least of your troubles...

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