linux-kernel - Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3

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Date:	Sun, 10 Jun 2007 13:08:18 +0200 (CEST)
From:	Jan Engelhardt <jengelh@...putergmbh.de>
To:	Simon Arlott <simon@...e.lp0.eu>
cc:	Tarkan Erimer <tarkan@...one.net.tr>, davids@...master.com,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org, neilb@...e.de
Subject: Re: Dual-Licensing Linux Kernel with GPL V2 and GPL V3


On Jun 10 2007 10:17, Simon Arlott wrote:
>On 10/06/07 09:37, Tarkan Erimer wrote:
>> BTW,I found a really interesting blog entry about which code in Linux
>> Kernel is using which version of GPL :
>> 
>> http://6thsenseless.blogspot.com/2007/02/how-much-linux-kernel-code-is-gpl-2.html
>> 
>> You've got to take MODULE_LICENSE() into account. There is
>> 
>> 	MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");
>> 	MODULE_LICENSE("GPL v2");
>> 	MODULE_LICENSE("GPL and additional rights");
>> 	MODULE_LICENSE("Dual BSD/GPL");
>> 	MODULE_LICENSE("Dual MIT/GPL");
>> 	MODULE_LICENSE("Dual MPL/GPL");
>
>Surely that doesn't work since the entire Linux kernel is (and can only be) 
>released as GPLv2? Wouldn't anyone making changes to those files need to 
>obtain a copy under the other licence and explicitly release it under both 
>licenses in order to maintain that?

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1915720,00.asp
has the answer. Quoting Linus:

"If you want to license a program under any later version of the GPL, you have
to state so explicitly. Linux never did."

Hence, unless there's a "GPL 2 or later", all the "unspecified GPL" files
are GPL2 only.


	Jan
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