Re: ndiswrapper and GPL-only symbols redux

From: Adrian Bunk
Date: Wed Jan 30 2008 - 13:54:27 EST


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

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