[PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[Wei Liu]

The comment at the beginning of the file is the canonical source of
licenses for this module. Currently it contains GPL and MIT license. Fix
the code to reflect the reality.

Signed-off-by: Wei Liu <wei.liu2@citrix.com>
---
 drivers/net/xen-netback/netback.c | 2 +-
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/xen-netback/netback.c b/drivers/net/xen-netback/netback.c
index 61b97c3..2427242 100644
--- a/drivers/net/xen-netback/netback.c
+++ b/drivers/net/xen-netback/netback.c
@@ -2192,5 +2192,5 @@ static void __exit netback_fini(void)
 }
 module_exit(netback_fini);
 
-MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL");
+MODULE_LICENSE("Dual MIT/GPL");
 MODULE_ALIAS("xen-backend:vif");
-- 
2.1.4

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[David Vrabel]

On 22/01/16 12:34, Wei Liu wrote:
> The comment at the beginning of the file is the canonical source of
> licenses for this module. Currently it contains GPL and MIT license. Fix
> the code to reflect the reality.

"The MIT license" isn't really a thing.  The closest is the X11
license[1], but this not applicable here either since the text in the
drivers does not refer to X11 trademarks etc.

You can either use "GPL" which would be correct for a Linux kernel
module since the alternate only applies when distributed separately from
Linux ("or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or
incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following
license:"); or you can use "GPL and additional rights".

(Or you could just leave it as-is since "Dual BSD/GPL" is close enough.)

David

[1] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#X11License

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[Wei Liu]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 01:14:24PM +0000, David Vrabel wrote:
> On 22/01/16 12:34, Wei Liu wrote:
> > The comment at the beginning of the file is the canonical source of
> > licenses for this module. Currently it contains GPL and MIT license. Fix
> > the code to reflect the reality.
> 
> "The MIT license" isn't really a thing.  The closest is the X11
> license[1], but this not applicable here either since the text in the
> drivers does not refer to X11 trademarks etc.
> 

That was referring to the license ident string in Linux.  If MIT license
isn't a thing, why would Linux have it at all?

> You can either use "GPL" which would be correct for a Linux kernel
> module since the alternate only applies when distributed separately from
> Linux ("or, when distributed separately from the Linux kernel or
> incorporated into other software packages, subject to the following
> license:"); or you can use "GPL and additional rights".
> 
> (Or you could just leave it as-is since "Dual BSD/GPL" is close enough.)
> 

No, I don't want to leave it as-is. That's not BSD license.

I can change that to "GPL". That is acceptable to me.

Wei.

> David
> 
> [1] http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#X11License
> 

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[Ian Campbell]

On Fri, 2016-01-22 at 13:49 +0000, Wei Liu wrote:
> On Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 01:14:24PM +0000, David Vrabel wrote:
> > On 22/01/16 12:34, Wei Liu wrote:
> > > The comment at the beginning of the file is the canonical source of
> > > licenses for this module. Currently it contains GPL and MIT license.
> > > Fix
> > > the code to reflect the reality.
> > 
> > "The MIT license" isn't really a thing.  The closest is the X11
> > license[1], but this not applicable here either since the text in the
> > drivers does not refer to X11 trademarks etc.
> > 
> 
> That was referring to the license ident string in Linux.  If MIT license
> isn't a thing, why would Linux have it at all?

The fact what include/linux/license.h:license_is_gpl_compatible includes
"Dual MIT/GPL" as an option seems to suggest that it is enough of a thing
to be validly used as the contents of a MODULE_LICENSE() thing.

It's also in https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT , the fact that it might
be confused for other licenses used by MIT notwithstanding.

FWIW https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_License seems to think that the
wording most commonly called the "MIT License" might be the "Expat
license", rather than the "X11 License" which is similar but different.

Ian.

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[David Vrabel]

On 22/01/16 14:15, Ian Campbell wrote:
> On Fri, 2016-01-22 at 13:49 +0000, Wei Liu wrote:
>> On Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 01:14:24PM +0000, David Vrabel wrote:
>>> On 22/01/16 12:34, Wei Liu wrote:
>>>> The comment at the beginning of the file is the canonical source of
>>>> licenses for this module. Currently it contains GPL and MIT license.
>>>> Fix
>>>> the code to reflect the reality.
>>>
>>> "The MIT license" isn't really a thing.  The closest is the X11
>>> license[1], but this not applicable here either since the text in the
>>> drivers does not refer to X11 trademarks etc.
>>>
>>
>> That was referring to the license ident string in Linux.  If MIT license
>> isn't a thing, why would Linux have it at all?
> 
> The fact what include/linux/license.h:license_is_gpl_compatible includes
> "Dual MIT/GPL" as an option seems to suggest that it is enough of a thing
> to be validly used as the contents of a MODULE_LICENSE() thing.

"Dual MIT/GPL" is used exactly once in the source in a file that has no
license text and there is no other documentation.

David

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[One Thousand Gnomes]

> The fact what include/linux/license.h:license_is_gpl_compatible includes
> "Dual MIT/GPL" as an option seems to suggest that it is enough of a thing
> to be validly used as the contents of a MODULE_LICENSE() thing.

Yes. The MIT licence most definitely exists, and people know what it
means.

Also nobody should be changing the licence on anything unless they have
the written permission of all rights holders on record, so it's best to
leave it be 8)

Alan

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[David Miller]

From: One Thousand Gnomes <gnomes@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 2016 20:25:21 +0000

>> The fact what include/linux/license.h:license_is_gpl_compatible includes
>> "Dual MIT/GPL" as an option seems to suggest that it is enough of a thing
>> to be validly used as the contents of a MODULE_LICENSE() thing.
> 
> Yes. The MIT licence most definitely exists, and people know what it
> means.
> 
> Also nobody should be changing the licence on anything unless they have
> the written permission of all rights holders on record, so it's best to
> leave it be 8)

+1

Re: [Xen-devel] [PATCH 1/3] xen-netback: fix license ident used in MODULE_LICENSE

[Wei Liu]

On Fri, Jan 22, 2016 at 08:25:21PM +0000, One Thousand Gnomes wrote:
> > The fact what include/linux/license.h:license_is_gpl_compatible includes
> > "Dual MIT/GPL" as an option seems to suggest that it is enough of a thing
> > to be validly used as the contents of a MODULE_LICENSE() thing.
> 
> Yes. The MIT licence most definitely exists, and people know what it
> means.
> 
> Also nobody should be changing the licence on anything unless they have
> the written permission of all rights holders on record, so it's best to
> leave it be 8)
> 

I knew from the beginning anything related to license will be fun. :-)

In this particular case, I don't think I need to get confirmation from
all rights holder because they've agreed to the licenses listed in
the comment. I'm merely fixing a bug in code.

I understand people have different opinion on how this should be
interpreted. And I'm not a lawyer. Let's just leave it be now and divert
our energy to more useful things in life.

Wei.

> Alan