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SubjectIf loadable modules are covered by Linux GPL?
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<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu size=2>Dear Sirs,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Since GNU guys&nbsp;wrote like&nbsp;follows
that&nbsp;there were some exceptions of GPL for loadable kernel modules provided
by Linux developers, could you please provide some comments on our question?
Your prompt reply is greatly appreciated.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>&gt;&gt;---</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2><FONT size=3>Loadable modules that are specifically
designed to work with a GPL'ed<BR>program are considered legally to be derived
works of that program.&nbsp; Thus,<BR>if you make a loadable module for GPL'ed
program, and distribute it, you<BR>must distribute the source code with it under
a GPL-compatible license.<BR>We never consider a module of this nature a
separate work.<BR><BR>However, the developers of the kernel named Linux have
sadly granted special<BR>exceptions to the GPL for the case of loadable
modules.&nbsp; This exception has<BR>nothing to do with the GPL; the copyright
holder of a program has the right<BR>to grant additional exceptions outside the
license itself.&nbsp; Thus, if you<BR>want to take advantage of such an
exception, you should contact the<BR>developers of Linux, &lt;</FONT><A
href="mailto:linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org"><FONT
size=3>linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org</FONT></A><FONT
size=3>&gt;.</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>---&lt;&lt;</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Thanks in advance.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Best regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Morris Chen</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu>My previous mail ----------</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu size=2>
<DIV><FONT face=MingLiu size=2>Dear Sirs,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>We are a leading anti-virus solution provider on
Unix. Currently we are trying to port our products to Linux. Our products
consist of some loadable kernel modules and daemons as well on Linux. The
loadable kernel modules are called 'hooks', which will change the runtime values
of sys_call_table[] of arch/i386/kernel/entry.S but never modify the copy of
entry.S file on the hard disk. According to the following 'exceptions' of GPL,
we want to know&nbsp;whether they won't be covered by GPL or not if we
distribute the Linux kernel and then our products at different timepoints on the
same host. Or is there any way else that they won't be covered by GPL? Your
prompt reply is greatly appreciated.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>-----</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體>These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If
identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be
reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this
License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them
as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole
which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on
the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the
entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>-----</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Thanks in advance.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Best regards,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=細明體 size=2>Morris
Chen</FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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