From patchwork Tue May 19 20:22:31 2015 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Patchwork-Submitter: "Luis R. Rodriguez" X-Patchwork-Id: 474057 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 2382B140D4E for ; Wed, 20 May 2015 06:25:04 +1000 (AEST) Authentication-Results: ozlabs.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (2048-bit key; unprotected) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b=cMTBRLhN; dkim-atps=neutral Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1751522AbbESUYr (ORCPT ); Tue, 19 May 2015 16:24:47 -0400 Received: from mail-pd0-f176.google.com ([209.85.192.176]:35380 "EHLO mail-pd0-f176.google.com" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1750937AbbESUYq (ORCPT ); Tue, 19 May 2015 16:24:46 -0400 Received: by pdea3 with SMTP id a3so39511426pde.2; Tue, 19 May 2015 13:24:45 -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=6jL577gPvrwtFWedLUPVgj/j2W2deMU4FFWWcUqjOyQ=; b=cMTBRLhNWCOc4akvmZYbH/bHUF3EiBmBaRU2aIfaDtOdVRvYYGdubQXhuU1PlYbvUT Z6TMmB6b13gWl5Fef/tKuHBbfjSc6Wn7tv74HC/v3OPjlUEIZ8beMNNLGjWTkoUMjBC1 YjmZHUCbjx2RMXNP8bgdmyiOuWIOIVP93hrHLSJe1tBQlvbTozMfEn6ezYUwHMmB16h3 x6iiiSBxLHJRYCS1hyhOQPlwd7XrzzR/2Xqo0wOnmEFedMVBQUq2amulI+nxOCiTJDt3 X3rAEsvPAkhLzYRynqg8qjav4FnXUVnMw8Mfs/yl2t4eNFKwwY1k47BMQajMI2QnMsqc pcJw== X-Received: by 10.66.161.102 with SMTP id xr6mr57841379pab.8.1432067085511; Tue, 19 May 2015 13:24:45 -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 np9sm1973054pdb.9.2015.05.19.13.24.42 (version=TLSv1 cipher=RC4-SHA bits=128/128); Tue, 19 May 2015 13:24:44 -0700 (PDT) Received: by mcgrof@gmail.com (sSMTP sendmail emulation); Tue, 19 May 2015 13:22:35 -0700 From: "Luis R. Rodriguez" To: kyle@kernel.org, linux-firmware@kernel.org Cc: netdev@vger.kernel.org, linux-wireless@vger.kernel.org, linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org, gnomes@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk, "Luis R. Rodriguez" Subject: [PATCH v2] README: clarify redistribution requirements covering patents Date: Tue, 19 May 2015 13:22:31 -0700 Message-Id: <1432066951-27346-1-git-send-email-mcgrof@do-not-panic.com> X-Mailer: git-send-email 2.1.0 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 v2 just changes "licence" to "license" as requested by Arend. README | 7 +++++-- 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/README b/README index f2ed92e..cdaecf0 100644 --- a/README +++ b/README @@ -17,8 +17,11 @@ diff or preferably a git pull request to: 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 +identifying the license under which the firmware is available, and +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 license 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.