Kernel code without GNU licence ? (fwd)

Jim Nance (jlnance@avanticorp.com)
Tue, 17 Dec 1996 08:07:52 -0500 (EST)


Forwarded message:
> Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 10:05:32 +0200 (EET)
> From: Jari Soderholm <kernel@cdlinux01.ntc.nokia.com>
> Subject: Kernel code without GNU licence ?

> Is it possible to contribute a new Linux kernel
> code so that the contributed part of code
> would be without GNU licence, so that it
> would be completetely free.

If you write a piece of code, you own the copyright to it, and you control
how it is licensed. What most people do in a situation like you describe
is to release it under several different licenses. For example there are
several drivers in the Linux kernel that are also included in the BSD
kernels. These pieces of code may be distributed under either the GNU
or BSD licenses.

The only requirement for integrating different pieces of code together is
that their licenses do not confilct. This would allow you, for example,
to put your code in the public domain, and include it in the Linux
sources.

Jim