Re: [PATCH] target: Update copyright ownership to 2012

["Nicholas A. Bellinger" <nab@linux-iscsi.org>]

On Sat, 2012-11-10 at 16:18 -0800, Kyle Moffett wrote:
> On Fri, Nov 9, 2012 at 3:00 PM, Nicholas A. Bellinger
> <nab@linux-iscsi.org> wrote:
> > This patch to update copyright year to current for principal target core
> > ownership is now being pushed into target-pending/for-next.
> 
> Pardon me, but you were just publicly accused of violating the GPL, so
> your response is to send a patch removing the copyright notices of all
> other organizations from the SCSI-target code?  Have you obtained
> ownership of all the relevant copyrights for Linux-iSCSI.org, PyX
> Technologies, Inc, and SBE, Inc?

I understand and appreciate your concerns.

To answer your question, we have rightfully obtained ownership of all
relevant copyrights to the target code for PyX Technologies LLC, and
SBEi, Inc.

I co-founded PyX in 2002, where we started the development of the target
code. PyX was subsequently acquired by SBEi in 2005. In 2007, I
purchased (at significant personal cost) all rights, title and interest
(incl. the copyright) in the target code. I then co-founded RisingTide
with this code in 2009.

Linux-iSCSI.org is only a URL and website that is owned by RisingTide
Systems, and not a legal entity or person, so listing it as a copyright
holder is meaningless.

> If not, then this patch is an
> attempted violation of those organizations copyrights and of the GPL
> (which requires that you preserve copyright notices).
> 
> Further, while these notices are the only ones listed in those files,
> they are not the only individuals outside of RisingTide Systems which
> have significant copyright interest in this code.
>
>   If your goal is to
> obtain exclusive copyright ownership over this code then there are a
> great many other people you must contact and convince first.
> 

The goal is to update the copyright to the current year, and to remove
legal entities that no longer exist or were meaningless.

I hope this clarifies your concerns.

Thank you,

--nab