Messages in this thread | | | Date | Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:12:01 -0700 | From | "Jeff V. Merkey" <> | Subject | Re: blatant GPL violation of ext2 and reiserfs filesystem drivers |
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Steven Rostedt wrote:
>On Thu, 2005-12-22 at 13:01 -0500, Kyle Moffett wrote: > > >>On Dec 22, 2005, at 11:08, Robert W. Fuller wrote: >> >> >>>Please see the following thread: >>> >>>http://www.opensolaris.org/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=2132&tstart=0x >>> >>>Sorry I didn't get around to reporting this sooner, but at least >>>the guilty party has had plenty of time to fail to repent. >>> >>>Regards, >>> >>>Rob >>> >>> >>This case looks about as black and white as it gets (although IANAL), >>so I'm adding gpl-violations.org-legal to the CC list. >> >> > >I'm not sure this is the case here or not, but it definitely brings up >an interesting question. > >Since the dynamic loading of binary modules into Linux seems to be a >gray area, since if I give you a binary module that loads into Linux, >but except for the API found in the header files, the module contains no >GPL code. Is it bound to the GPL? This is a rhetorical question, please >don't answer it. > >Now the real question: If one were to have an operating system, and set >up a layer that simulated the API of Linux, such that Linux binary >modules could be loaded, is _that_ a violation of the GPL? >
No , it is not. It's called "reverse engineering".
Jeff
>IOW, one >would only distribute to you a system that has no GPL code, and only >simulates an API, which is legal otherwise Samba wouldn't exist. But the >user has the option of compiling a Linux module to get the benefits from >it. Sort of a ndiswrapper in reverse! > >-- Steve > > >- >To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in >the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org >More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html >Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/ > > >
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