linux-kernel - Re: [PATCH 0/2] module: Block modules by Tuxedo from accessing GPL symbols

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Message-ID: <2024111557-unlighted-giggle-0d86@gregkh>
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2024 05:43:16 +0100
From: Greg KH <gregkh@...uxfoundation.org>
To: Werner Sembach <wse@...edocomputers.com>
Cc: Uwe Kleine-König <ukleinek@...nel.org>,
	Luis Chamberlain <mcgrof@...nel.org>, tux@...edocomputers.com,
	Petr Pavlu <petr.pavlu@...e.com>,
	Sami Tolvanen <samitolvanen@...gle.com>,
	Daniel Gomez <da.gomez@...sung.com>, linux-modules@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org,
	Thorsten Leemhuis <linux@...mhuis.info>
Subject: Re: [PATCH 0/2] module: Block modules by Tuxedo from accessing GPL
 symbols

On Thu, Nov 14, 2024 at 11:49:04AM +0100, Werner Sembach wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> Am 14.11.24 um 11:31 schrieb Uwe Kleine-König:
> > Hello,
> > 
> > the kernel modules provided by Tuxedo on
> > https://gitlab.com/tuxedocomputers/development/packages/tuxedo-drivers
> > are licensed under GPLv3 or later. This is incompatible with the
> > kernel's license and so makes it impossible for distributions and other
> > third parties to support these at least in pre-compiled form and so
> > limits user experience and the possibilities to work on mainlining these
> > drivers.
> > 
> > This incompatibility is created on purpose to control the upstream
> > process. See https://fosstodon.org/@kernellogger/113423314337991594 for
> > a nice summary of the situation and some further links about the issue.
> > 
> > Note that the pull request that fixed the MODULE_LICENSE invocations to
> > stop claiming GPL(v2) compatibility was accepted and then immediately
> > reverted "for the time being until the legal stuff is sorted out"
> > (https://gitlab.com/tuxedocomputers/development/packages/tuxedo-drivers/-/commit/a8c09b6c2ce6393fe39d8652d133af9f06cfb427).
> 
> As already being implied by that commit message, this is sadly not an issue
> that can be sorted out over night.
> 
> We ended up in this situation as MODULE_LICENSE("GPL") on its own does not
> hint at GPL v2, if one is not aware of the license definition table in the
> documentation.

That's why it is documented, to explain this very thing.  Please don't
suggest that documenting this is somehow not providing a hint.  That's
just not going to fly with any lawyer who reads any of this, sorry.

greg k-h