Re: Legal Issues with UDI

Craig Milo Rogers (rogers@ISI.EDU)
Tue, 01 Sep 1998 02:39:31 -0700

>1. Can you mix a GNU GPL'ed OS ( Linux & Hurd ) with non-GNU GPL'ed
>drivers?
>
>2. Can you mix a GNU GPL'ed OS ( Linux & Hurd ) with proprietary
>drivers,
> for which you do not have the source code, and there is not even a
> glimmer of hope that you would ever have the source code?
>
>3. Can you mix a GNU GPL'ed OS ( Linux & Hurd ) with proprietary
>drivers,
> for which you do have the source code, but the source code is not
> released under the GNU GPL?

[Usual disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and this message does
not constitute an offer of legal advice.]

These issues have been rehashed over and over again. I think
that if you search in DejaNews, you may be able to review some of the
prior discussions: gnu.misc.discuss should be fruitful, as (to as
lesser extent) will comp.os.linux.kernel. Also, this line of
non-technical discussion might be more appropriate for
comp.os.linux.advocacy.

Summarizing: loading GPL-incompatible loadable device drivers
is OK in Linux. Linking GPL-incompatible device drivers into a
customized Linux kernel might be OK so long as you do not "publish or
distribute" the resulting kernel image. Linking GPL-incompatible
device drivers into a Linux kernel and distributing the resulting
kernel image (via FTP, CDROM, etc.) is probably a bad idea.

Craig Milo Rogers

-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.altern.org/andrebalsa/doc/lkml-faq.html