From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id ; Fri, 24 May 2002 18:01:00 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id ; Fri, 24 May 2002 18:01:00 -0400 Received: from h24-67-14-151.cg.shawcable.net ([24.67.14.151]:23280 "EHLO webber.adilger.int") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id ; Fri, 24 May 2002 18:00:58 -0400 From: Andreas Dilger Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 15:57:30 -0600 To: Karim Yaghmour Cc: Andrea Arcangeli , Dan Kegel , Andrew Morton , Hugh Dickins , Christoph Rohland , Jens Axboe , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Linus Torvalds Subject: Re: patent on O_ATOMICLOOKUP [Re: [PATCH] loopable tmpfs (2.4.17)] Message-ID: <20020524215730.GF9997@turbolinux.com> Mail-Followup-To: Karim Yaghmour , Andrea Arcangeli , Dan Kegel , Andrew Morton , Hugh Dickins , Christoph Rohland , Jens Axboe , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, Linus Torvalds In-Reply-To: <3CEDF94C.592636A6@kegel.com> <3CEDFCED.D10CD618@zip.com.au> <3CEE806D.D52FBEA5@kegel.com> <20020524202658.GI15703@dualathlon.random> <3CEEAE3D.EB64A3AA@opersys.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.28i X-GPG-Key: 1024D/0D35BED6 X-GPG-Fingerprint: 7A37 5D79 BF1B CECA D44F 8A29 A488 39F5 0D35 BED6 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On May 24, 2002 17:18 -0400, Karim Yaghmour wrote: > Just wanting to put the record straight here about the rtlinux patent. IANAL or an embedded software expert, but... > I've been involved in fighting this patent for the last 2 years. During > this time, I have met and talked with many people about this issue. Today, > I can assure you that the rtlinux patent is definitely a show-stopper for > Linux. > > It is no wonder that the established embedded vendors (WindRiver, QNX, > etc.) feel no threat from Linux. They know that every time Linux will > be evaluated, it will be put aside because of the patent. What, so there are _no_ patents or other restrictions on any of the commercial embedded OS vendor products? I would imagine that you need to pay some sort of license fee to those vendors in order to use their code for products you sell. I imagine that the rtlinux patent is also available for license, and will only have a small per-usage fee <= other commercial license fees. If not then the patent holder is foolish and there is no point in having the patent in the first place. Cheers, Andreas PS - I'm not in favour of patents for Linux at all, but saying "you can't use rtlinux because of the patent" doesn't make sense. PPS- I also think "defensive patents" on Linux are also a bad idea, because (a) the Linux source code is surely "published" and any ideas therein already constitute prior art for the sake of defending a patent infringement suit, and (b) since patents can be bought and sold any "defensive patents" might fall into the wrong hands if the patent holder goes bankrupt and the assets are sold off to the highest bidder - bad news for the entire Linux community. -- Andreas Dilger http://www-mddsp.enel.ucalgary.ca/People/adilger/ http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2resize/