[U-Boot-Users] License issues with Xilinx provided files

[U-Boot-Users] License issues with Xilinx provided files

[Wolfgang Denk]

Dear Peter,

it has been brought to my attention that there are a couple of Xilinx
priovided files in the U-Boot tree which are not compatible with  the
GPL.

These files are (at least):

board/xilinx/common/xipif_v1_23_b.c
board/xilinx/common/xipif_v1_23_b.h
board/xilinx/xilinx_iic/xiic_l.c
board/xilinx/xilinx_iic/xiic_l.h
include/asm-microblaze/arch-microblaze/xuartlite_l.h

The problem with these files is especially  this  part  in  the  file
header:

	XILINX IS PROVIDING THIS DESIGN, CODE, OR INFORMATION "AS IS"
	AS A COURTESY TO YOU, SOLELY FOR USE IN DEVELOPING PROGRAMS AND
	                      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	SOLUTIONS FOR XILINX DEVICES.  BY PROVIDING THIS DESIGN, CODE,
	^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
	...

We cannot take this  lightly,  as  in  other  files,  Xilinx  uses  a
different clause:

	This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
	under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the
	Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
	option) any later version.

	XILINX IS PROVIDING THIS DESIGN, CODE, OR INFORMATION "AS IS" AS A
	COURTESY TO YOU. BY PROVIDING THIS DESIGN, CODE, OR INFORMATION AS
	...

It is obvious, that the second file is intended to  be  GPLed,  while
the first one is not.


Do you see a way to submit new versions of the  aforementioned  files
with  a GPL compatible license header? If not, I have no other option
but to remove these files from the U-Boot source tree.


Please note that this also means that copies of the U-Boot code which
include these files like those distributed by Xilinx (for example, as
http://www.xilinx.com/bvdocs/appnotes/xapp542.zip) violate  the  GPL,
and I must ask you to stop distributing these files.


Thanks.


Best regards,

Wolfgang Denk

-- 
Software Engineering:  Embedded and Realtime Systems,  Embedded Linux
Phone: (+49)-8142-66989-10 Fax: (+49)-8142-66989-80 Email: wd at denx.de
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.

[U-Boot-Users] License issues with Xilinx provided files

[Peter Ryser]

Dear Wolfgang,

>board/xilinx/common/xipif_v1_23_b.c
>board/xilinx/common/xipif_v1_23_b.h
>board/xilinx/xilinx_iic/xiic_l.c
>board/xilinx/xilinx_iic/xiic_l.h
>
I had fixed all the issues in the licensing text (in addition to 
technical issues) for the above and additional files in a patch that I 
submitted to the U-Boot mailing list on 2005-09-28 (see "[U-Boot-Users] 
[PATCH] Major overhaul for Xilinx ML300 board support"). As far as I 
know this patch together with other patches submitted a few days later 
adding support for additional boards still waits for inclusion into the 
source tree.

The "offending" license text slipped through the cracks in an earlier 
submission.

>include/asm-microblaze/arch-microblaze/xuartlite_l.h
>
Although Xilinx is the author and copyright holder of this file it was 
not submitted by Xilinx.

>Do you see a way to submit new versions of the  aforementioned  files
>with  a GPL compatible license header? If not, I have no other option
>but to remove these files from the U-Boot source tree.
>
I'd very much like to see the patches from last September added to the 
source tree which fixes the issues under discussion. Please let me know 
when you plan to include these patches.

>Please note that this also means that copies of the U-Boot code which
>include these files like those distributed by Xilinx (for example, as
>http://www.xilinx.com/bvdocs/appnotes/xapp542.zip) violate  the  GPL,
>and I must ask you to stop distributing these files.
>
The "offending" license text only exists in the open source repository 
but not in the U-Boot 1.1.1 snapshot included in xapp542.zip.

- Peter

[U-Boot-Users] License issues with Xilinx provided files

[Peter Ryser]

Dear Wolfgang,

>board/xilinx/common/xipif_v1_23_b.c
>board/xilinx/common/xipif_v1_23_b.h
>board/xilinx/xilinx_iic/xiic_l.c
>board/xilinx/xilinx_iic/xiic_l.h
>
I had fixed all the issues in the licensing text (in addition to
technical issues) for the above and additional files in a patch that I
submitted to the U-Boot mailing list on 2005-09-28 (see "[U-Boot-Users]
[PATCH] Major overhaul for Xilinx ML300 board support"). As far as I
know this patch together with other patches submitted a few days later
adding support for additional boards still waits for inclusion into the
source tree.

The "offending" license text slipped through the cracks in an earlier
submission.

>include/asm-microblaze/arch-microblaze/xuartlite_l.h
>
Although Xilinx is the author and copyright holder of this file it was
not submitted by Xilinx.

>Do you see a way to submit new versions of the  aforementioned  files
>with  a GPL compatible license header? If not, I have no other option
>but to remove these files from the U-Boot source tree.
>
I'd very much like to see the patches from last September added to the
source tree which fixes the issues under discussion. Please let me know
when you plan to include these patches.

>Please note that this also means that copies of the U-Boot code which
>include these files like those distributed by Xilinx (for example, as
>http://www.xilinx.com/bvdocs/appnotes/xapp542.zip) violate  the  GPL,
>and I must ask you to stop distributing these files.
>
The "offending" license text only exists in the open source repository
but not in the U-Boot 1.1.1 snapshot included in xapp542.zip.

- Peter