linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 3/3] ath10k: add firmware files

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Date:	Sun, 16 Mar 2014 18:57:10 +0000
From:	Ben Hutchings <ben@...adent.org.uk>
To:	"Luis R. Rodriguez" <mcgrof@...not-panic.com>
Cc:	Kalle Valo <kvalo@....qualcomm.com>,
	"linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	David Woodhouse <dwmw2@...radead.org>,
	linux-wireless <linux-wireless@...r.kernel.org>,
	ath10k@...ts.infradead.org,
	"netdev@...r.kernel.org" <netdev@...r.kernel.org>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 3/3] ath10k: add firmware files

On Fri, 2014-03-14 at 05:36 -0700, Luis R. Rodriguez wrote:
> On Fri, Mar 14, 2014 at 1:45 AM, Kalle Valo <kvalo@....qualcomm.com> wrote:
[...]
> > + NO LICENSES OR OTHER RIGHTS,
> > +WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, BASED ON ESTOPPEL OR OTHERWISE, ARE GRANTED
> > +TO ANY PARTY'S PATENTS, PATENT APPLICATIONS, OR PATENTABLE INVENTIONS
> > +BY VIRTUE OF THIS LICENSE OR THE DELIVERY OR PROVISION BY QUALCOMM
> > +ATHEROS, INC. OF THE SOFTWARE.
> 
> This -- however is new to linux-firmware -- and I hereby raise a big
> red fucking flag. All other licenses on linux-firmware provide at the
> very least a limited patent grant. What makes Qualcomm special ?
[...]

There are several licence texts that don't mention patents at all.  I'm
assuming that the companies submitting firmware for inclusion in Linux
or linux-firmware do intend to grant whatever licences are required to
distribute it to end users.

Several licence texts explicitly exclude patent licences relating to any
*other* products of the same company, but that's quite redundant.

However this language seems to explicitly exclude *any* patent licence.
You're right to raise a red flag because, assuming Qualcomm does have
patents that cover the firmware alone, this seems to disallow
redistribution in whatever jurisdictions those patents apply.

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
Computers are not intelligent.	They only think they are.

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