linux-kernel - Re: Is the PCI serial driver code GPL v2 or v3

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Date:	Thu, 6 Nov 2008 20:52:31 +0200
From:	Peter Alfredsen <loki_val@...too.org>
To:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Cc:	Russell King <rmk+lkml@....linux.org.uk>
Subject: Re: Is the PCI serial driver code GPL v2 or v3

On Thursday 06 November 2008, n0ano@...no.com wrote:
> I notice that many of the files that make up the serial driver
> are licensed as "either version 2 of the License, or (at your
> option) any later version".  Unfortunatley, I would like to use
> some of the code from `drivers/serial/8250_pci.c' in grub2,
> which is a GPL v3 project, but the copyright for this file
> says:
>
>  * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
> modify * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
> published by * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the
> License.
>
> The `either' in that sentence would lead me to believe that there
> was a typo and the `or later' clause was dropped off but, as it
> stands, it's just bad English that says version 2 only.
>
> Anyone know what the true intent was and how to resolve this?

It seems like a typo to me to.. That wording has been constant since the 
file drivers/serial/serial_8250_pci.c was created based on work in 
drivers/char/serial.c:
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/tglx/history.git;a=commitdiff;h=33c0d1b0c3ebb61243d9b19ce70d9063acff2aac
serial_8250.c has the "or later" clause there.

But I suppose the best way is to ask the originator of that file. 
Russell, what say you?
Did you mean to license that file under GPL-2 or GPL-2+?

-- 
/PA

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