[OT]Re: Linux stifles innovation...

[Gregory Maxwell <greg@linuxpower.cx>]

On Fri, Feb 16, 2001 at 11:20:54PM -0800, Mike Pontillo wrote:
[snip]
>      Assuming I am a corporate entity and I need to spend a few bucks to fix
> a GPL driver, just because I fix it and deploy my fix on my corporation's
> internal network machines -- and quite possibly benefit the hell out of
> myself and my company -- that does not mean that I have to release my work
> for free under the GPL. Of course, the *nice* thing to do would be to
> release it under the GPL even if I was only using the fix internally -- but
> I am under no obligation to do that, if, say, I just wanted to keep ahead of
> my competitors. Maybe I was planning to wait awhile so I could get ahead in
> my market. Maybe I'm just an IP freak and I want to keep my code to myself.
> Whatever. My understanding is that the only restrictions I have is that I
> can't sell or distribute the darned thing. If, say for example I needed to
> fix that driver so that it would work on my new WhizBang 2001 Corporate
> Server that is about to hit the market, then I would be making money on the
> hardware, and as an added bonus my company looks good because it has an
> "open" driver for its server. (no matter that it "had" to under the GPL)

No, you can sell it as well, but you have to give the buyer the same rights
you got (under the GPL), this still has value as you can sell it for any
price you want and you can add other value to yours sales (sure, after the
first couple sales people will be able to find it for free on the net or
included in the kernel, but if they want your support for it, they need pay
you).