linux-kernel - Re: ndiswrapper and GPL-only symbols redux

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [thread-next>] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Date:	Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:54:46 +0200
From:	Adrian Bunk <bunk@...nel.org>
To:	Chris Friesen <cfriesen@...tel.com>
Cc:	Giridhar Pemmasani <pgiri@...oo.com>,
	Pavel Roskin <proski@....org>, linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Jon Masters <jonathan@...masters.org>,
	Rusty Russell <rusty@...tcorp.com.au>, rms@....org
Subject: Re: ndiswrapper and GPL-only symbols redux

On Wed, Jan 30, 2008 at 12:26:00PM -0600, Chris Friesen wrote:
> Adrian Bunk wrote:
>
>> IANAL, but I have serious doubts whether putting some glue layer 
>> between the GPL'ed code and the code with a not GPL compatible licence 
>> is really a legally effictive way of circumventing the GPL.
>
> It may depend on the details of the "code with a not GPL compatible  
> licence".
>
> It's pretty hard to argue that a binary driver written for another OS is  
> a derivative work of the linux kernel.

Read the paragraph starting with "These requirements apply to the 
modified work as a whole." of the GPLv2.

IANAL, and I would therefore ask a lawyer whether, and if yes under 
which circumstances, shipping a binary driver written for another OS
dynamically linked into the Linux kernel would not be a criminal offense.

> Chris

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed

--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/