From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S263809AbTLEKze (ORCPT ); Fri, 5 Dec 2003 05:55:34 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S263913AbTLEKze (ORCPT ); Fri, 5 Dec 2003 05:55:34 -0500 Received: from caramon.arm.linux.org.uk ([212.18.232.186]:48398 "EHLO caramon.arm.linux.org.uk") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S263809AbTLEKzc (ORCPT ); Fri, 5 Dec 2003 05:55:32 -0500 Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2003 10:55:28 +0000 From: Russell King To: Oliver Hunt Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause? Message-ID: <20031205105528.A30514@flint.arm.linux.org.uk> Mail-Followup-To: Oliver Hunt , linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org References: <20031204235055.62846.qmail@web21503.mail.yahoo.com> <3FCFCC9C.8030901@student.canterbury.ac.nz> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5.1i In-Reply-To: <3FCFCC9C.8030901@student.canterbury.ac.nz>; from ojh16@student.canterbury.ac.nz on Fri, Dec 05, 2003 at 01:09:00PM +1300 Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Fri, Dec 05, 2003 at 01:09:00PM +1300, Oliver Hunt wrote: > What (i think) linus is saying is that he, as the owner of the > copyright, Unfortunately, this statement isn't entirely correct. Linus owns the copyright on parts of the kernel written by Linus, just the same as I own copyright on the parts of the kernel written by me, Red Hat own copyright on parts of the kernel written by their employees, and IBM own copyright on parts of the kernel written by their employees. etc. No one person owns the overall copyright on the complete kernel. This, in turn, means that no one person can change the terms and conditions of the license under which the overall kernel is distributed. IANAL. -- Russell King Linux kernel 2.6 ARM Linux - http://www.arm.linux.org.uk/ maintainer of: 2.6 PCMCIA - http://pcmcia.arm.linux.org.uk/ 2.6 Serial core