RE: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more Driver core patches for 2.6.19]

[Hua Zhong]

I'd suggest putting a Documentation/GPL-Symbols to explain this.

Then in the "tainted" message, have a pointer to that documentation. 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: linux-kernel-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> [mailto:linux-kernel-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Scott Preece
> Sent: Thursday, December 14, 2006 11:43 AM
> To: Chris Wedgwood
> Cc: Eric Sandeen; Christoph Hellwig; Linus Torvalds; Jeff 
> Garzik; Greg KH; Jonathan Corbet; Andrew Morton; Martin 
> Bligh; Michael K. Edwards; linux-kernel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: GPL only modules [was Re: [GIT PATCH] more 
> Driver core patches for 2.6.19]
> 
> On 12/14/06, Chris Wedgwood <cw@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > On Thu, Dec 14, 2006 at 12:15:20PM -0600, Eric Sandeen wrote:
> >
> > > Please don't use that name, it strikes me as much more confusing 
> > > than EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL, even though I agree that _GPL 
> doesn't quite 
> > > convey what it means, either.
> >
> > Calling internal symbols _INTERNAL is confusing?
> 
> I think it's the combination of "INTERNAL" and "EXPORT" that 
> seems contradictory - "If it's internal, why are you exporting it?"
> 
> I think "EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL_ONLY" or "...ONLY UNDER_GPL" would 
> make the meaning clearer, but I don't really think the gain 
> is worth the pain.
> Anybody using kernel interfaces ought to be able to figure it out.
> 
> >
> > But those symbols aren't, they're about internal interfaces 
> that might 
> > change.
> 
> Folks who think this is likely to make a difference in court 
> might want to look at 
> <http:www.linuxworld.com/news/2006/120806-closed-modules2.html
> > for a litany of court cases that have rejected infringement 
> claims where a much sterner effort had been made to hide or 
> block use of interfaces.
> The article claims that courts have increasingly found that 
> interfacing your code to an existing work is not 
> infringement, regardless of what you have to work around to do it.
> 
> Of course, that's one author's reading of the case law and 
> I'm sure there are others who disagree, but it's something 
> you'd want to keep in mind in calculating the expected value 
> of a suit...
> 
> scott
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