| Message ID | 1431626160-10885-1-git-send-email-mcgrof@do-not-panic.com (mailing list archive) |
|---|---|
| State | Not Applicable |
| Delegated to: | Kalle Valo |
| Headers | show |
On 05/14/15 19:56, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote: > From: "Luis R. Rodriguez"<mcgrof@suse.com> > > Firmware licenses on linux-firmware should include an implicit > or explicit patent grant to end users for full device operation > otherwise it would start making linux-firmware useless for many > Linux distributions which have positions against patent encumbered > software [0] [1] [2] and it would mean cherry picking firmware files > out. It can also mean making it problematic to redistribute linux-firmware > in some jurisdictions which could have different positions on > patents, or have already outlawed software patents. > > Licenses with implicit patent grants are allowed given that otherwise > we couldn't carry permissively licensed firmwares which would be silly, > but using permissively licensed firmware files which remove patent > grants explicitly are not allowed. > > A clarifications is needed as one attempt was already made to include > firmware encumbered by patents without a grant [3] and it was decided > we would not allow these. We clarify this to make this requirement > explicit and prevent these type of further attempts. > > [0] https://www.debian.org/legal/patent > [1] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Software_Patents#Red_Hat.27s_position_on_Software_Patents > [2] http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/about-us/ > [3] https://lkml.org/lkml/2014/3/14/182 > > Cc: netdev@vger.kernel.org > Cc: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org > Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org > Signed-off-by: Luis R. Rodriguez<mcgrof@suse.com> > --- > > This patch is unmodified, the discussion over it was brief [0] but I didn't > hear back from Alan on this. Sending again now that we have a new active > linux-firmware maintainer. > > [0] https://lkml.org/lkml/2014/6/27/448 > > README | 5 ++++- > 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) > > diff --git a/README b/README > index f2ed92e..d2a56ec 100644 > --- a/README > +++ b/README > @@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ and also cc: to related mailing lists. > > Your commit should include an update to the WHENCE file clearly > identifying the licence under which the firmware is available, and > -that it is redistributable. If the licence is long and involved, it's > +that it is redistributable. Being redistributable includes ensuring > +the firmware license provided includes an implicit or explicit > +patent grant to end users to ensure full functionality of device > +operation with the firmware. If the licence is long and involved, it's Just nitpicking here, but there is 'license' and 'licence' being used here. Better stick to one and preferably 'license'. Regards, Arend > permitted to include it in a separate file and refer to it from the > WHENCE file. > And if it were possible, a changelog of the firmware itself. -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-wireless" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
On Thu, May 14, 2015 at 11:29 AM, Arend van Spriel <arend@broadcom.com> wrote: > On 05/14/15 19:56, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote: >> diff --git a/README b/README >> index f2ed92e..d2a56ec 100644 >> --- a/README >> +++ b/README >> @@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ and also cc: to related mailing lists. >> >> Your commit should include an update to the WHENCE file clearly >> identifying the licence under which the firmware is available, and >> -that it is redistributable. If the licence is long and involved, it's >> +that it is redistributable. Being redistributable includes ensuring >> +the firmware license provided includes an implicit or explicit >> +patent grant to end users to ensure full functionality of device >> +operation with the firmware. If the licence is long and involved, it's > > > Just nitpicking here, but there is 'license' and 'licence' being used here. > Better stick to one and preferably 'license'. Fixed, will submit a v2. Luis -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-wireless" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
On Tue, May 19, 2015 at 01:18:14PM -0700, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote: > >> Your commit should include an update to the WHENCE file clearly > >> identifying the licence under which the firmware is available, and > >> -that it is redistributable. If the licence is long and involved, it's > >> +that it is redistributable. Being redistributable includes ensuring > >> +the firmware license provided includes an implicit or explicit > >> +patent grant to end users to ensure full functionality of device > >> +operation with the firmware. If the licence is long and involved, it's > > > > > > Just nitpicking here, but there is 'license' and 'licence' being used here. > > Better stick to one and preferably 'license'. > > Fixed, will submit a v2. > Heh, it doesn't help that we now have LICENSE.* and LICENCE.* in the tree as well. :/ I believe, at least in my Commonwealth english, that licence is the file, and license is the action of licensing. I should probably rename the LICENSE.* files in the tree to match. --Kyle -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-wireless" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
diff --git a/README b/README index f2ed92e..d2a56ec 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ and also cc: to related mailing lists. Your commit should include an update to the WHENCE file clearly identifying the licence under which the firmware is available, and -that it is redistributable. If the licence is long and involved, it's +that it is redistributable. Being redistributable includes ensuring +the firmware license provided includes an implicit or explicit +patent grant to end users to ensure full functionality of device +operation with the firmware. If the licence is long and involved, it's permitted to include it in a separate file and refer to it from the WHENCE file. And if it were possible, a changelog of the firmware itself.