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

Alexandre Oliva
2007-06-14T23:21:57Z

On Jun 14, 2007, Linus Torvalds <torvalds@linux-foundation.org> wrote:

> 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 can make improvements to GPLv2+ files under GPLv3 (or rather will,
after GPLv3 is published). And you wrote:

> I want to be able to use other peoples improvements. If they release
> improved versions of the software I started, I want to be able to
> merge those improvements if I want to.

So which is it? Do you want to be able to use other people's
improvements, respecting the conditions you said they are legitimately
entitled to make, or is this not quite the whole story?

> 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.

I understand this very well. You'd have to get the kernel upgraded to
GPLv3 in order to accept the contribution.

Likewise for any other contribution under any other GPLv2-incompatible
license.

So, you see, your statement above, about wanting to be able to use
other people's improvements, cannot be taken without qualification.

--
Alexandre Oliva http://www.lsd.ic.unicamp.br/~oliva/
FSF Latin America Board Member http://www.fsfla.org/
Red Hat Compiler Engineer aoliva@{redhat.com, gcc.gnu.org}
Free Software Evangelist oliva@{lsd.ic.unicamp.br, gnu.org}