On Mon, 2011-09-05 at 12:27 +0200, brennersimon@xxxxxxxx wrote: > > > Would the manufacturer then have to provide all source code, even > > > its own which he originally wanted to keep private? > > > > I would say yes, because the resulting firmware file is not a mere > > aggregation but rather a derived work containing the GPL'd components. > > Does that apply to GPLv3 software as well as GPLv2 software within the firmware? If it were true yes, it would apply equally, GPLv3 is a copyleft license just like GPLv2 and the 2 are *obviously* very close. > > > If every user has to be able to rebuild his own firmware files then > > > the manufacturer would be forced to open all code. > > > > I would say so. The entire point of the GPL is that an end user who > > receives GPL'd software should be able to take it apart, modify it, > > put it back together, and run the result. If the firmware is the > > product you are giving them, and it contains GPL software inside it, > > then I think it does apply to the whole. > > Here again the question if this applies for v3 as well as v2 licenced software? Of course. (But I think the whole premise is false, so consult a lawyer or an otherwise expert in licensing matters that understand the technicalities about how your firmware is built). > I read about 'tivoization' and I guess that's the thing I'm actually > referring to, isn't it? And as far as I read that's a point which was > enforced especially with GPLv3. Are you signing the firmware in a way that is checked at boot and won't allow the boot to proceed if the signatures do not check ? If so then there is a difference between GPLv2 and GPLv3 but has nothing to do with aggregation, nor with release the source code of other unrelated components. Simo. -- Simo Sorce Samba Team GPL Compliance Officer <simo@xxxxxxxxx> Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat, Inc. <simo@xxxxxxxxxx> -- To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-cifs" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
