From patchwork Fri Jun 27 19:39:27 2014 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Patchwork-Submitter: "Luis R. Rodriguez" X-Patchwork-Id: 365146 X-Patchwork-Delegate: davem@davemloft.net Return-Path: X-Original-To: patchwork-incoming@ozlabs.org Delivered-To: patchwork-incoming@ozlabs.org Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [209.132.180.67]) by ozlabs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D53CF14008B for ; Sat, 28 Jun 2014 05:39:53 +1000 (EST) Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1751716AbaF0Tjj (ORCPT ); Fri, 27 Jun 2014 15:39:39 -0400 Received: from mail-pa0-f48.google.com ([209.85.220.48]:45488 "EHLO mail-pa0-f48.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1751087AbaF0Tji (ORCPT ); Fri, 27 Jun 2014 15:39:38 -0400 Received: by mail-pa0-f48.google.com with SMTP id et14so4950730pad.35 for ; Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:39:37 -0700 (PDT) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=sender:from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id; bh=zgMUCUrw5HBc92E0FilN0xpWS3lIxld4vpkUP3nzYdU=; b=fMGFHAHIi8vkP3wgjiDqPcGJ7SUfPyQ/fDcdLcbFmm97Hbi1gYE2UpEQ63RT1ITWPx aw8nMXvJGSs9LKyrgL50AtwNpNoZcNfw5Y3ldT60jGn+uEQruZiyrQrdKD/4JITwrTH+ 6cGfW+3S8lAD29tAtSn3FaKTiCC+GAFhDofjw+boOijJmD9OaFItjALdecu4aT4jqXzW OfeucwoKKOyAn/AeBOi/EsK7OgFMDkR69SYBwHy//vqsjAx5isX8tagQxCw5cCQnSFnN FB+W/wJq8Rp/ZUEvkD53M/2TwI6hNiu+ZtZv7nmaFU+hsYipWJP0GKmkrOdjogtYT8JJ KJZA== X-Received: by 10.68.240.34 with SMTP id vx2mr33418984pbc.1.1403897977428; Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:39:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mcgrof@gmail.com (c-98-234-145-61.hsd1.ca.comcast.net. [98.234.145.61]) by mx.google.com with ESMTPSA id bc4sm16038270pbb.2.2014.06.27.12.39.34 for (version=TLSv1 cipher=RC4-SHA bits=128/128); Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:39:35 -0700 (PDT) Received: by mcgrof@gmail.com (sSMTP sendmail emulation); Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:39:33 -0700 From: "Luis R. Rodriguez" To: linux-firmware@kernel.org Cc: "Luis R. Rodriguez" , netdev@vger.kernel.org, linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: [PATCH] README: clarify redistribution requirements covering patents Date: Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:39:27 -0700 Message-Id: <1403897967-5894-1-git-send-email-mcgrof@do-not-panic.com> X-Mailer: git-send-email 1.9.1 Sender: netdev-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: netdev@vger.kernel.org From: "Luis R. Rodriguez" Firmware licenses on linux-firmware should include an implicit or explicit patent grant to end users for full device operation otherwise it would start making linux-firmware useless for many Linux distributions which have positions against patent encumbered software [0] [1] [2] and it would mean cherry picking firmware files out. It can also mean making it problematic to redistribute linux-firmware in some jurisdictions which could have different positions on patents, or have already outlawed software patents. Licenses with implicit patent grants are allowed given that otherwise we couldn't carry permissively licensed firmwares which would be silly, but using permissively licensed firmware files which remove patent grants explicitly are not allowed. A clarifications is needed as one attempt was already made to include firmware encumbered by patents without a grant [3] and it was decided we would not allow these. We clarify this to make this requirement explicit and prevent these type of further attempts. [0] https://www.debian.org/legal/patent [1] http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Software_Patents#Red_Hat.27s_position_on_Software_Patents [2] http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/about-us/ [3] https://lkml.org/lkml/2014/3/14/182 Cc: netdev@vger.kernel.org Cc: linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Signed-off-by: Luis R. Rodriguez --- This wasn't clear and at one point one entity already tried to get included a firmware that explicitly removes any patent grants for users. README | 5 ++++- 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/README b/README index f2ed92e..d2a56ec 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ and also cc: to related mailing lists. Your commit should include an update to the WHENCE file clearly identifying the licence under which the firmware is available, and -that it is redistributable. If the licence is long and involved, it's +that it is redistributable. Being redistributable includes ensuring +the firmware license provided includes an implicit or explicit +patent grant to end users to ensure full functionality of device +operation with the firmware. If the licence is long and involved, it's permitted to include it in a separate file and refer to it from the WHENCE file. And if it were possible, a changelog of the firmware itself.