Re: [RFC/PATCH 1/2] in-kernel sockets API

From: Harald Welte
Date: Wed Jun 14 2006 - 09:29:20 EST


On Tue, Jun 13, 2006 at 02:12:41PM -0700, Daniel Phillips wrote:

> This has the makings of a nice stable internal kernel api. Why do we want
> to provide this nice stable internal api to proprietary modules?

because there is IMHO legally nothing we can do about it anyway. Use of
an industry-standard API that is provided in multiple operating system
is one of the clearest idnication of some program _not_ being a
derivative work.

Whether we like it or not, it doesn't really matter if we export them
GPL-only or not. Anybody using those scoket API calls will be having an
easy time arguing in favor of non-derivative work.

The GPL doesn't extend beyon what copyright law allows you to do...

--
- Harald Welte <laforge@xxxxxxxxxxxx> http://gnumonks.org/
============================================================================
We all know Linux is great...it does infinite loops in 5 seconds. -- Linus

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