Proposed ACPI Licensing change

Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Grover, Andrew]

Hi all,

The ACPI AML interpreter (i.e. code in directories under drivers/acpi, but
not source in drivers/acpi directly) has been released by us (Intel) under
the GPL. It has also been released separately under a looser license, so
that other OS vendors may make use of it.

One consequence of this is that we have not been able to benefit directly
from patches from other Linux contributors. The reason is, patches submitted
to code only under the GPL must also be GPL, and therefore we cannot take
them directly and still make our code available under a license other than
the GPL. (We have to determine the problem the patch fixes and then do the
fix ourselves.)

This has slowed development and lessened community participation in the
development process.

In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.

Comments?

Regards -- Andy

-----------------------------
Andrew Grover
Intel Labs / Mobile Architecture
andrew.grover-ral2JQCrhuEAvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Adrian Bunk]

On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 04:10:00PM -0800, Grover, Andrew wrote:

> Hi all,

Hi Andrew,

>...
> One consequence of this is that we have not been able to benefit directly
> from patches from other Linux contributors. The reason is, patches submitted
> to code only under the GPL must also be GPL, and therefore we cannot take
> them directly and still make our code available under a license other than
> the GPL. (We have to determine the problem the patch fixes and then do the
> fix ourselves.)
>...
> In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
> the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
> of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
> implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
> done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.
> 
> Comments?

two comments regarding the right of an author to freely choose under 
which license(s) he wants to make his patch available:

If a submitter wants to allow you to use his patch under both licenses 
he's already able to allow you to do so.

You can't forbid people to send GPL-only patches, so if a person doesn't
want his patch under your looser license you can't enforce that he also
releases it under your looser license.

> Regards -- Andy

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[David Schwartz]

On Sat, 7 Dec 2002 01:24:06 +0100, Adrian Bunk wrote:
>On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 04:10:00PM -0800, Grover, Andrew wrote:

>You can't forbid people to send GPL-only patches, so if a person doesn't
>want his patch under your looser license you can't enforce that he also
>releases it under your looser license.

	No, but then you just reject the patch.

	DS




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Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[David Schwartz]

On Sat, 7 Dec 2002 01:24:06 +0100, Adrian Bunk wrote:
>On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 04:10:00PM -0800, Grover, Andrew wrote:

>You can't forbid people to send GPL-only patches, so if a person doesn't
>want his patch under your looser license you can't enforce that he also
>releases it under your looser license.

	No, but then you just reject the patch.

	DS

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Christoph Hellwig]

On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 04:10:00PM -0800, Grover, Andrew wrote:
> In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
> the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
> of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
> implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
> done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.
> 
> Comments?

I think that's fine.  Please use a known license for the second option,
i.e. MPL.

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Alan Cox]

On Sat, 2002-12-07 at 00:10, Grover, Andrew wrote:
> In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
> the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
> of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
> implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
> done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.

I think this is an extremely good idea. I certainly would have no
problem contributing cleanup/fixes to the project under those terms. And
if I did something large and mega cool with ACPI I can still GPL it only
and you can still ignore it 8)

There is a tradition of contributing patches back under the license the
project you are contributing to used (and ACPI is certainly big enough
to be 'a project' not just a patch) 

Suits me fine

Alan

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Jeff Garzik]

Grover, Andrew wrote:
> In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
> the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
> of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
> implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
> done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.


I think this is great.

Since pcmcia already set an example with their license, I think it's a 
great model to follow.

I also echo other comments to choose an already-known license like the 
MPL or BSD (etc.) so that lawyers don't have extra work ;-)

	Jeff

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Greg KH]

On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 04:10:00PM -0800, Grover, Andrew wrote:
> In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
> the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
> of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
> implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
> done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.

Fine with me too.  What would the other license be?

thanks,

greg k-h

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Pavel Machek]

Hi!

> In order to solve this, we are considering releasing the Linux version of
> the interpreter under a dual license. This would allow direct incorporation
> of changes. Any patches submitted against the ACPI core code would
> implicitly be allowed to be used by us in a non-GPL context. This is already
> done elsewhere in the Linux kernel source by the PCMCIA code, for example.
> 
> Comments?

Good idea, and should have been done year
ago. I was always wondering why noone
patches ACPI :-).
-- 
				Pavel
Written on sharp zaurus, because my Velo1 broke. If you have Velo you don't need...

Re: Proposed ACPI Licensing change

[Adrian Bunk]

On Fri, Dec 06, 2002 at 04:36:13PM -0800, David Schwartz wrote:

> On Sat, 7 Dec 2002 01:24:06 +0100, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> 
> >You can't forbid people to send GPL-only patches, so if a person doesn't
> >want his patch under your looser license you can't enforce that he also
> >releases it under your looser license.
> 
> 	No, but then you just reject the patch.

Surely.

> 	DS

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed