From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:56:16 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:56:07 -0400 Received: from penguin.e-mind.com ([195.223.140.120]:55361 "EHLO penguin.e-mind.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:55:57 -0400 Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 15:56:52 +0200 From: Andrea Arcangeli To: Dipankar Sarma Cc: alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk, Paul Mckenney , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: 2.4.10pre7aa1 Message-ID: <20010911155652.A715@athlon.random> In-Reply-To: <20010911183534.A2340@in.ibm.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20010911183534.A2340@in.ibm.com>; from dipankar@in.ibm.com on Tue, Sep 11, 2001 at 06:35:34PM +0530 X-GnuPG-Key-URL: http://e-mind.com/~andrea/aa.gnupg.asc X-PGP-Key-URL: http://e-mind.com/~andrea/aa.asc Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Tue, Sep 11, 2001 at 06:35:34PM +0530, Dipankar Sarma wrote: > In article you wrote: > >> BTW, I fixed a few more issues in the rcu patch (grep for > >> down_interruptible for instance), here an updated patch (will be > >> included in 2.4.10pre8aa1 [or later -aa]) with the name of rcu-2. > > > I've been made aware of one other isue with the RCU patch > > US Patent #05442758 > > > In the absence of an actual real signed header paper patent use grant for GPL > > usage from the Sequent folks that seems to be rather hard to fix. > > > Alan > > Hi Alan, > > IBM bought us a couple of years ago and linux RCU is an IBM approved > project. I am not sure I understand what exactly is needed for patent use > grant for GPL, but whatever it is, I see absolutely no problem getting it done. > I would appreciate if you let me know what is needed for GPL. Nothing is needed but without changes we would prefer not to include the rcu patch in the kernel. AFIK (and I'm far from being an expert here) I can upload the source protected by patent to kernel.org and everybody but US citizens can safely run the code protected by patent without having to pay the patent holder. So in short the problem is that it wouldn't be nice if you could download freely the linux kernel but you couldn't use it freely in the US without first dropping the rcu patch. In short AFIK from your part you should just make a modification to the patent (or whatever else legal paperwork) saying that the usage of the rcu technology in GPL code is allowed free of charge. Andrea