Re: large page patch (fwd) (fwd)

Linus Torvalds
2002-08-13T18:41:09Z

On Tue, 13 Aug 2002, Rob Landley wrote:
>
> > Having a license that explicitly states that people who
> > contribute and use Linux shouldn't sue you over it might
> > prevent some problems.
>
> Such a clause is what IBM insisted on having in ITS open source license. You
> sue, your rights under this license terminate, which is basically automatic
> grounds for a countersuit for infringement.

Note that I personally think the "you screw with me, I screw with you"
approach is a fine one. After all, the GPL is based on "you help me, I'll
help you", so it fits fine.

However, it doesn't work due to the distributed nature of the GPL. The FSF
tried to do something like it in the GPL 3.0 discussions, and the end
result was a total disaster. The GPL 3.0 suggestion was something along
the lines of "you sue any GPL project, you lose all GPL rights". Which to
me makes no sense at all - I could imagine that there might be some GPL
project out there that _deserves_ getting sued(*) and it has nothing to do
with Linux.

Linus

(*) "GNU Emacs, the defendent, did inefariously conspire to play
towers-of-hanoy, while under the guise of a harmless editor".