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From: Andreas Steinmetz <ast@domdv.de>
To: daniel.blueman@gmail.com
Cc: Runar Ingebrigtsen <runar@mopo.no>,
	Linux Kernel <linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: Help porting wireless InProComm IPN 2220 driver to 2.6
Date: Thu, 15 Sep 2005 13:45:25 +0200	[thread overview]
Message-ID: <43295ED5.1090309@domdv.de> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <6278d22205091504232ac3d8c3@mail.gmail.com>

Daniel J Blueman wrote:
> This depends if the module uses any symbols exported from the kernel
> with EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(), and clearly the module license - 'strings'
> should be enough do check this is you don't have a MIPS platform to
> hand.

Even then (I didn't check the binary yet), is it really legal to
distribute a kernel source tree which contains sources with statements
like the following?

/******************************************************************************
Copyright (c) 2002-2003 Inprocomm, Inc.

All rights reserved. Copying, compilation, modification, distribution
or any other use whatsoever of this material is strictly prohibited
except in accordance with a Software License Agreement with Inprocomm, Inc.
******************************************************************************/

This doesn't look exactly like GPL compatability to me, still it is
_within_ the kernel tree.

Note that I don't say they can't distribute a binary only module, it is
the fact that it is located _within_ the kernel tree that, ahem,
irritates me.
I wouldn't say anything if there would be a separate 'source' tree for
the proprietary module but: is distributing a kernel source with
proprietary binary code embedded really legal?
-- 
Andreas Steinmetz                       SPAMmers use robotrap@domdv.de

  reply	other threads:[~2005-09-15 11:45 UTC|newest]

Thread overview: 6+ messages / expand[flat|nested]  mbox.gz  Atom feed  top
2005-09-15 10:44 Help porting wireless InProComm IPN 2220 driver to 2.6 Daniel J Blueman
2005-09-15 11:16 ` Andreas Steinmetz
2005-09-15 11:23   ` Daniel J Blueman
2005-09-15 11:45     ` Andreas Steinmetz [this message]
2005-09-15 12:36     ` Arjan van de Ven
  -- strict thread matches above, loose matches on Subject: below --
2005-09-14 22:15 Runar Ingebrigtsen

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