Re: Linux 2.6.9 and the GPL Buyout

From: Jeff V. Merkey
Date: Tue Dec 21 2004 - 11:12:49 EST


William Lee Irwin III wrote:

On Mon, Dec 20, 2004 at 03:27:23PM -0600, Jeff V. Merkey wrote:
[...]


Despite dubious reporting and wild conjecture, the buyout was not geared towards helping SCO, or in concert with M$ as some sort of grand conspiracy. It was geared towards creating a new licensing and legal model for open source development. The Cherokee Nation is enacting legislation to promote open source development. So the whole buyout was me and a few folks attempting to convert Linux GPL code into a licensing model and Cherokee Nation Copyrights that renders the code sovereign and immune from litigation outside of tribal courts
and jurisdiction. So much for all the SCO and other legal wranglings
regarding this effort and open source in general. We are immune from
these people and so are any projects that use our licensing or host on our servers. I personally told Darl "Mad Dog" McBride at SCO good luck and to buzz off.

[...]

As interesting and informative as this is, maybe there needs to be a
mailing list (linux-politics-discuss?) or something to serve as an
appropriate outlet for these kinds of discussions (as well as bitkeeper
licensing issues, C++ modules, etc.). It's a bit difficult to
appreciate the relevance of this kind of "political" message to a list
dedicated to kernel programming and cold, hard code.

Congratulations on your new directions and position. I hope there will
soon be a place for which your informative announcements are more
appropriate than linux-kernel.


- wli



Linux Kernel is the most appropriate since it is Linux kernel code and open source
in general and this does prevent the SCO legal ranglings with Linux. For now, anyway.
That will hcnage as the SCO litigation develops and M$ starts their patent attacks. Open
Source OS's will need a safe harbor. One just appeared.

Jeff


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