Re: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause?

Andrea Arcangeli
2003-12-10T23:38:21Z

On Wed, Dec 10, 2003 at 02:18:00PM -0800, Larry McVoy wrote:
> interfaces, the EXPORT_GPL stuff, all of that as a way to delibrately

forget EXPORT_GPL, that's an hint, all _GPL can be removed, and any
EXPORT_SYMBOL can be added. what is a derived work or not, what is legal
or not, has nothing to do with whatever EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL or even with
EXPORT_SYMBOL.

Clearly if we export everything with EXPORT_SYMBOL we make life easier
to illegal people, that's why using EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL can make sense,
but any distributor is free to drop all _GPL tags everywhere, and export
every single kernel function with EXPORT_SYMBOL. If somebody than makes
a derived work through those exported symbols illegally, that's his own
problem. The distributor has no control on the export symbol users.

just look vmmon, that's a derived work with a non GPL compatible
licence, it does everything through exported symbols but it doesn't mean
it's not a derivative work.