Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

Linus Torvalds
2007-06-14T22:52:51Z

On Thu, 14 Jun 2007, Alexandre Oliva wrote:
>
> Hmm... So, if someone takes one of the many GPLv2+ contributions and
> makes improvements under GPLv3+, you're going to make an effort to
> accept them, rather than rejecting them because they're under the
> GPLv3?

You *cannot* make GPLv3-only contributions to the kernel.

I'm sorry, but that's how it is. You can take some of the code that is
GPLv2+ in the kernel, and MOVE IT TO ANOTHER PROJECT, and use them there.
But not within the confines of the Linux kernel. Within the Linux kernel,
the GPLv2 rules - and "GPLv2+" becomes just "GPLv2", since the GPLv3 is
not compatible with v2.

This is no different from the fact that we have some drivers that are
GPLv2/BSD licensed. Within the kernel, they are GPLv2. But on their own,
you can choose to use them under the BSD license, make your changes to
them, and release them commercially.

And correct - I cannot (and neither can anybody else) then accept those
*non*GPLv2 changes back.

> I understand. I assumed you had some trust that people would abide by
> your wish to permit TiVOization, and that authors of modifications
> were entitled to make "whatever restrictions they wanted" on their
> code.

Actually, normally I *do* have such a trust. It's why I have no problem
with drivers that are dual-GPL/BSD, and in fact, I've told people that I
don't want them to turn them into GPL-only, because that is simply not
polite.

But I hold *myself* to higher standards than I hold others. And in
particular, when it comes to people with a religious agenda, I don't
expect them to be polite or take my feelings into account. I expect (from
good history) that people with a license agenda will consider the license
agenda more important than any hurt feelings, or any wishes of mine.

> Pardon me if I think your position is at least somewhat incoherent.
> Can you help me make sense of it?

I'm giving up. I'm moving you to my "flamers" list, so that your emails go
to a separate mailbox that I read weekly. I've wasted too much time with
you, your arguments don't make sense, and you seem to refuse to even _try_
to understand my position, or respect the fact that my choice of license
is MY choice, and that I actually have a brain of my own.

Linus