Return-path: Received: from mail3.webfaction.com ([70.85.44.146]:36446 "EHLO mail3.webfaction.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1753507AbYAGUcH (ORCPT ); Mon, 7 Jan 2008 15:32:07 -0500 Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2008 15:31:01 -0500 From: Forest Bond To: "Luis R. Rodriguez" Cc: "John W. Linville" , linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: VT6656 driver source available from VIA Message-ID: <20080107203101.GA4599@storm.local.network> (sfid-20080107_203211_108871_803B1EDD) References: <20070919193743.GA14127@storm.local.network> <20071101185900.GD14943@tuxdriver.com> <20071101190711.GB17825@storm.local.network> <20071101191250.GE14943@tuxdriver.com> <20071105020730.GA4414@storm.local.network> <20071114170051.GD23778@storm.local.network> <20071114170634.GC6226@tuxdriver.com> <20080107184949.GI18550@storm.local.network> <43e72e890801071220r33401a6cg30a0bf4fc391b452@mail.gmail.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg=pgp-sha1; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="sm4nu43k4a2Rpi4c" In-Reply-To: <43e72e890801071220r33401a6cg30a0bf4fc391b452@mail.gmail.com> Sender: linux-wireless-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: --sm4nu43k4a2Rpi4c Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Mon, Jan 07, 2008 at 03:20:02PM -0500, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote: > On Jan 7, 2008 1:49 PM, Forest Bond wrote: > > Hi, > > > > On Wed, Nov 14, 2007 at 12:06:34PM -0500, John W. Linville wrote: > > > On Wed, Nov 14, 2007 at 12:00:51PM -0500, Forest Bond wrote: > > >> On Sun, Nov 04, 2007 at 09:07:31PM -0500, Forest Bond wrote: > > >>> The post is here: > > >>> > > >>> http://forums.viaarena.com/messageview.aspx?catid=3D28&threadid=3D7= 8745 > > >>> > > >>> Any noise that can be contributed is welcome and appreciated. You'= ll need > > >>> to create an account to post, though. > > > > > >> I also added these. Perhaps having plenty of content/links regardin= g this > > >> issue will help to increase visibility: > > >> > > >> http://www.alittletooquiet.net/text/a-license-for-the-via-vt6656-lin= ux-driver/ > > >> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.22/+bug/1= 62671 > > > > > > Excellent...I appreciate your efforts as an agitator! :-) > > > > At this point I am not anticipating positive results WRT this endeavor,= and am > > unable to pursue further assistance from VIA. Further, I've seen that = the > > driver in question likely exhibits some interesting quirks that makes it > > difficult to use. It is also bit-rotting out of relevance. >=20 > This is unfortunate to hear... >=20 > > Can the driver be used as a reference for a fresh implementation? I've= not > > written a driver before, but would be open to the possibility. >=20 > IANAL but I believe It basically depends on the license the vendor > issued the driver under and its sources under. If no license was used > then I believe the standard copyright license terms should be assumed. > What license was used throughout the driver files? >=20 > > What are the legal ramifications of a driver author having access to > > proprietary source code? >=20 > Again, I believe it depends on the license/NDA/terms under which the > driver author obtained access to such proprietary source code. The > more details you provide the better. The license was omitted. This was presumably an oversight, but intentions = are always hard to know when the other party isn't saying anything :) There's little doubt in my mind that we get nothing more than fair use out = of this package, though. The question is "is that enough?". Code copying is obviously not allowed, but is a new (and sufficiently different) implementa= tion allowed? -Forest --=20 Forest Bond http://www.alittletooquiet.net --sm4nu43k4a2Rpi4c Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: Digital signature Content-Disposition: inline -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQFHgowFRO4fQQdv5AwRAjRHAJ9hreuHeRAFXLBbmW5n0DITdJ7XiwCgqcDC GyCmICF8c1betjppbqgEAEU= =K51i -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --sm4nu43k4a2Rpi4c--