Return-path: Received: from shadbolt.e.decadent.org.uk ([88.96.1.126]:46480 "EHLO shadbolt.e.decadent.org.uk" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1752487AbaCPS5o (ORCPT ); Sun, 16 Mar 2014 14:57:44 -0400 Message-ID: <1394996230.15764.113.camel@deadeye.wl.decadent.org.uk> (sfid-20140316_195806_819427_BB0F1E36) Subject: Re: [PATCH 3/3] ath10k: add firmware files From: Ben Hutchings To: "Luis R. Rodriguez" Cc: Kalle Valo , "linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org" , David Woodhouse , linux-wireless , ath10k@lists.infradead.org, "netdev@vger.kernel.org" Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 18:57:10 +0000 In-Reply-To: References: <20140314084501.23100.13103.stgit@x230> <20140314084514.23100.72654.stgit@x230> Content-Type: multipart/signed; micalg="pgp-sha512"; protocol="application/pgp-signature"; boundary="=-ANVEt/7OdFBiJ+ufZy8u" Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: linux-wireless-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: --=-ANVEt/7OdFBiJ+ufZy8u Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable On Fri, 2014-03-14 at 05:36 -0700, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote: > On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 1:45 AM, Kalle Valo wrot= e: [...] > > + NO LICENSES OR OTHER RIGHTS, > > +WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, BASED ON ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, ARE GRANTED > > +TO ANY PARTY'S PATENTS, PATENT APPLICATIONS, OR PATENTABLE INVENTIONS > > +BY VIRTUE OF THIS LICENSE OR THE DELIVERY OR PROVISION BY QUALCOMM > > +ATHEROS, INC. OF THE SOFTWARE. >=20 > This -- however is new to linux-firmware -- and I hereby raise a big > red fucking flag. All other licenses on linux-firmware provide at the > very least a limited patent grant. What makes Qualcomm special ? [...] There are several licence texts that don't mention patents at all. I'm assuming that the companies submitting firmware for inclusion in Linux or linux-firmware do intend to grant whatever licences are required to distribute it to end users. Several licence texts explicitly exclude patent licences relating to any *other* products of the same company, but that's quite redundant. However this language seems to explicitly exclude *any* patent licence. You're right to raise a red flag because, assuming Qualcomm does have patents that cover the firmware alone, this seems to disallow redistribution in whatever jurisdictions those patents apply. Ben. --=20 Ben Hutchings Computers are not intelligent. They only think they are. --=-ANVEt/7OdFBiJ+ufZy8u Content-Type: application/pgp-signature; name="signature.asc" Content-Description: This is a digitally signed message part -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1 iQIVAwUAUyX0Bue/yOyVhhEJAQpPeQ/8D6Z1UqLY4JPQsVWUWUMd/9CMVO3pBIK8 m8+yo0qgC8WL7CWHe8kPDkL05gNPdj5ef7qc+AzqYTKEvaa4pTbQ6BS8Y14FhTVS cUo4fDjhJfT9R7uP7XBtCGagcaOUzFoDvYgMlH+pN2qeoV+v+IkxXTadTRsfpY5x oLHklcoFTrwf02VLba77eNsEzKHciOG9go3rJVXn/wgwCYdBCCNhzwpmfZJQzPZm AwNFshs2ndQI7yVlU+zT/hSdEgpOj2Q20rZxFVVTQSxRd2J5NKvaqXu1vkSlDkGh m0uUCsluIHSt1VUK0RSBaJ/pIG/NatimdSCpH1V4ohREGAO5u3K7N/FUFcJk0apO 3keexu3nJ40hkxyArPzL8mYNJb0mJ63cvAkkCyf6a5xECXJV24byG/5pvdSrLTkf M1pI9nQvQYRMN8YQTocNBiw3L8oQF/jEpabZKluHqy3Cayvnj+EluDhXOsbtcg/x ufhcViPr5xsyyTimkhcEVPPNKyPNdzXccRO7w5Ee6uN8mPrxlSHEShV4mnOdSGWH T2r4Y3ms2uTmmTDk2JNrDtengTg1qM8+B6dODOB7wR02j2bO7O2D8yei8dVm7SMG IVT4iJ0M9rv8jKrC/lTXG+EmfLaFKr4fOTe5jqTM2Gn8racr/hjvT2ywbV4wwdYq BYuxxRlkn6w= =r1Jd -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- --=-ANVEt/7OdFBiJ+ufZy8u--