[PATCH 1/2] COPYING: create a new file with points to the Kernel license files

Mauro Carvalho Chehab
2018-03-22T09:54:13Z

With the addition of SPDX patchset, the contents of COPYING file
is now duplicated at two other files under LICENSE:
LICENSES/preferred/GPL-2.0
LICENSES/exceptions/Linux-syscall-note

It is easy to check that the contents of the licence written on
those files are identical with COPYING using:

$ diff -upr COPYING LICENSES/preferred/GPL-2.0
$ diff -upr COPYING LICENSES/exceptions/Linux-syscall-note|less

Also, a new file was added, with describes how SPDX should work at
the Kernel source files:
Documentation/process/license-rules.rst

Instead fo having it copying the contents of two files, and not
even mentioning the third one, replace it by a file whose content
points to the other tree files, preserving the Kernel's license.

Adjust license-rules.rst accordingly.

Please notice that this file preserves the Kernel license as
is, without any changes.

Signed-off-by: Mauro Carvalho Chehab <mchehab@s-opensource.com>
---
COPYING.new | 18 ++++++++++++++++++
Documentation/process/license-rules.rst | 20 +++++++++++---------
2 files changed, 29 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
create mode 100644 COPYING.new

diff --git a/COPYING.new b/COPYING.new
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..da4cb28febe6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/COPYING.new
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+The Linux Kernel is provided under:
+
+ SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0 WITH Linux-syscall-note
+
+Being under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only,
+according with:
+
+ LICENSES/preferred/GPL-2.0
+
+With an explicit syscall exception, as stated at:
+
+ LICENSES/exceptions/Linux-syscall-note
+
+In addition, other licenses may also apply. Please see:
+
+ Documentation/process/license-rules.rst
+
+for more details.
diff --git a/Documentation/process/license-rules.rst b/Documentation/process/license-rules.rst
index 408f77dc6157..bba178e68a0c 100644
--- a/Documentation/process/license-rules.rst
+++ b/Documentation/process/license-rules.rst
@@ -4,15 +4,17 @@ Linux kernel licensing rules
============================

The Linux Kernel is provided under the terms of the GNU General Public
-License version 2 only (GPL-2.0), as published by the Free Software
-Foundation, and provided in the COPYING file. This documentation file is
-not meant to replace the COPYING file, but provides a description of how
-each source file should be annotated to make the licensing it is governed
-under clear and unambiguous.
-
-The license in the COPYING file applies to the kernel source as a whole,
-though individual source files can have a different license which is
-required to be compatible with the GPL-2.0::
+version 2 only (GPL-2.0), as written at LICENSES/preferred/GPL-2.0,
+with an explicit syscall exception described at
+LICENSES/exceptions/Linux-syscall-note, as described in the COPYING file.
+
+This documentation file is not meant to replace the Kernel's license,
+but provides a description of how each source file should be annotated
+to make the licensing it is governed under clear and unambiguous.
+
+The license described in the COPYING file applies to the kernel source
+as a whole, though individual source files can have a different license
+which is required to be compatible with the GPL-2.0::

GPL-1.0+ : GNU General Public License v1.0 or later
GPL-2.0+ : GNU General Public License v2.0 or later
--
2.14.3