From: graeme.russ@gmail.com (Graeme Russ)
To: kernelnewbies@lists.kernelnewbies.org
Subject: GPL-only symbol Error
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:09:45 +1100 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <CALButCLCN9h461D07MxCf-Hn7T+jL8pkac6++aC8pw-eOJx-tg@mail.gmail.com> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <6F5DE7538AFCDA45A114F5E7510424A702D3E42D@hq-exchange01.bytemobile.com>
Hi Jeff,
On Wed, Nov 23, 2011 at 11:34 AM, Jeff Haran <jharan@bytemobile.com> wrote:
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Greg KH [mailto:greg at kroah.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 2:44 PM
>> To: Jeff Haran; Sengottuvelan S; Kernel Newbies
>> Subject: Re: GPL-only symbol Error
>>
>> On Tue, Nov 22, 2011 at 02:35:24PM -0800, Jeff Haran wrote:
>> > I've seen others when faced with this who build their own kernels
> from
>> > sources just modify the problematic EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()s to
>> > EXPORT_SYMBOL()s. I don't know if that is legal. I wouldn't do it
>> > personally. Consult a lawyer before you go down that road.
>>
>> It is not legal and companies have gotten into big trouble by trying
> to
>> do that, or by creating "gpl-condom" kernel modules that wrap gpl-only
>> symbols and export them again. ?Do not do that without the full buy-in
>> from your legal department as they do not want to hear about it from
> an
>> external query first.
>>
>
> Greg,
>
> Just curious, can you provide links to these cases?
>
> I've read the COPYING file at the top of the Linux source tree. I am not
> a lawyer, but I don't see anything in it that would prohibit somebody
> from taking the GPL kernel sources, changing the EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL()s to
> EXPORT_SYMBOL()s, publishing that modified kernel source as required by
> the GPL license but then keep their module source that uses the now
> non-GPL symbols private. It seems like it should be prohibited in the
> spirit of open source, but I don't see any mention of these symbol
> declarations in the license.
The mere fact that the "gpl-condom" module links to EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL
functions make it, in and of itself, a GPL module
ergo, there is no such thing as a "gpl-condom" module
Regards,
Graeme
next prev parent reply other threads:[~2011-11-23 1:09 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 20+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2011-11-22 21:48 GPL-only symbol Error Sengottuvelan S
2011-11-22 21:53 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-22 22:08 ` Sengottuvelan S
2011-11-22 22:34 ` Greg KH
2011-11-22 22:35 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-22 22:44 ` Greg KH
2011-11-23 0:34 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-23 0:51 ` Greg KH
2011-11-23 1:09 ` Graeme Russ [this message]
2011-11-23 1:21 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-23 1:39 ` Guillaume Knispel
2011-11-23 2:10 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-23 2:50 ` Greg KH
2011-11-23 18:05 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-23 19:32 ` Greg KH
2011-11-23 1:56 ` Greg Freemyer
2011-11-23 2:17 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-23 2:48 ` Greg KH
[not found] ` <1322045488.28603.17.camel@thorin>
2011-11-23 18:31 ` Jeff Haran
2011-11-23 19:28 ` Greg KH
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