Re: GPLv3 Position Statement

Linus Torvalds
2006-09-29T18:40:45Z

On Fri, 29 Sep 2006, Linus Torvalds wrote:
>
> I think you can push that angle, and a lot of the time it will work in
> practice - because the companies involved are really not "evil", and most
> often they simply want to avoid any trouble.

Btw, I'd also like to say that not only am I not a lawyer, I also think
that it's perfectly fine for people to disagree with me and decide to sue
somebody they really really dislike. I'm not giving legal advice, and am
just stating my own standpoint.

I think people (especially in the US) tend to be way too lawsuit-happy
anyway, but I'm in no way trying to discourage people who feel they want
to assert rights that I personally don't think _I_ have. People differ in
their opinions of the rights they hold. That's ok.

The way things _really_ get decided is not on the kernel mailing list, or
even by asking a lawyer, but by people who decided that some company or
other just simply crossed the line and did something illegal. My opinion
simply doesn't _matter_ in that sense.

For example, when I say that I think it would be totally insane to think
that a 128-bit hash of a binary is a "derived work", I say that as a
concerned citizen. I think a world where real lawyers would say that would
be a _horrible_ world. And I don't think it makes sense. But sadly, until
I'm elected(*) life-time President and King of the World, what I think
doesn't actually change anything.

Linus

(*) Hah. Who do I think I'm kidding? The revolution will be bloody and
brutal, and you're not going to get the choice to "elect" me except in the
history books written by yours truly.