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

Jan Engelhardt
2007-06-10T11:08:28Z

On Jun 10 2007 10:17, Simon Arlott wrote:
>On 10/06/07 09:37, Tarkan Erimer wrote:
>> BTW,I found a really interesting blog entry about which code in Linux
>> Kernel is using which version of GPL :
>>
>> http://6thsenseless.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-much-linux-kernel-code-is-gpl-2.html
>>
>> You've got to take MODULE_LICENSE() into account. There is
>>
>> MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
>> MODULE_LICENSE("GPL v2");
>> MODULE_LICENSE("GPL and additional rights");
>> MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL");
>> MODULE_LICENSE("Dual MIT/GPL");
>> MODULE_LICENSE("Dual MPL/GPL");
>
>Surely that doesn't work since the entire Linux kernel is (and can only be)
>released as GPLv2? Wouldn't anyone making changes to those files need to
>obtain a copy under the other licence and explicitly release it under both
>licenses in order to maintain that?

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1915720,00.asp
has the answer. Quoting Linus:

"If you want to license a program under any later version of the GPL, you have
to state so explicitly. Linux never did."

Hence, unless there's a "GPL 2 or later", all the "unspecified GPL" files
are GPL2 only.

Jan
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