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On Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:51:25 +0000 Benjamin A'Lee <bma@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: > On Tue, Jan 30, 2007 at 02:07:10PM +0000, Jonathan Roberts wrote: > > Just saw this article on Digg. > > > > http://www.digg.com/linux_unix/Linux_Kernel_hackers_offering_hardware_companies_free_driver_development#c4995019 > > > > Apparently the kernel team have agreed to develop Linux drivers under > > NDAs if need be for any companies that will co-operate. I'm guessing > > these drivers will still have to be GPL'd though? > > How can it be GPLed if it's written under an NDA? Isn't releasing under > the GPL basically as far from non-disclosure as it's possible to get? Hopefully, my other email helps clarify it (AFAICT). The NDA doesn't apply to the source code, only the design specifications that are used as a reference to write the GPL source code. The specs aren't software - the remaining issue is, therefore, whether companies will be willing to let all-and-sundry infer certain elements of the specification from the source code of the free software driver. It's similar to all the text books on my shelf - they are not GPL, they are normal publishing copyright. Many include snippets of source code but if I don't use those directly and instead develop my own code using the descriptions, documentation, rules and syntax described in the copyrighted text, that forms a new work under my copyright alone, not a derived work which would need joint copyright and would be unlikely to be under a free software licence (I'd need the consent of the author and publisher). -- Neil Williams ============= http://www.data-freedom.org/ http://www.nosoftwarepatents.com/ http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/
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