Ethereal-dev: Re: [Ethereal-dev] Request: Change the allowed license of plugins

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From: Brad Hards <bhards@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 09:19:21 +1100
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On Fri, 22 Nov 2002 09:17, Esh, Andrew wrote:
> It may be interesting to note that the Linux kernel has the sort of
> provision Dinesh is suggesting. It allows proprietary device drivers to be
> written for the kernel.
This is possibly not a good analogy, since binary kernel drivers isn't 
necessarily legal either. Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn't. - I really 
have no idea.

There certainly is /not/ an exception to the Linux kernel GPL for device 
drivers (per the OP reference to the FSF exception). It is sometimes 
tolerated, but certainly not explicitly endorsed.

If you want to know if anything is legal, you need to test it in court, or 
find equivalent case law. 

In every legal jurisdiction that you care about.

Very, very ugly.

Brad
- -- 
http://linux.conf.au. 22-25Jan2003. Perth, Aust. I'm registered. Are you?
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