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

Linus Torvalds
2007-06-14T20:16:17Z

On Thu, 14 Jun 2007, Alexandre Oliva wrote:
>
> Then would you consider relicensing Linux under GPLv3 + additional
> permission for Tivoization?

No. I'm not stupid.

The GPLv3 explicitly allows removing additional permissions.

So anybody who does "GPLv3 + additional permissions" is basically setting
himself up for people taking those permissions away.

Since the Tivo kind of permission is in my opinion a *fundamental right*
(or call if "freedom" if you want), then "GPLv3 + additional permissions"
simply is not a viable alternative, since anybody could just decide to
make improvements and strip those permissions.

The whole notion of "additional permissions" in the GPLv3 is totally
pointless, since it's legally *exactly* the same as allowing dual
licensing (which a license doesn't even have to spell out: you can
dual-license *regardless* of the license!).

The reason for the "additional permissions" is just to make the LGPL go
away, and become a sub-clause of the GPLv3.

If you really thought anything else, you're just uninformed and stupid,
and didn't think things through.

Linus