Re: patent on O_ATOMICLOOKUP [Re: [PATCH] loopable tmpfs (2.4.17)]

[Roman Zippel]

Hi,

On Sun, 26 May 2002, David Woodhouse wrote:

> > > To get a free patent license, EVERYTHING must be GPL.
> > > Not just the real-time part! So that would be:
> > > 
> > > 1. the RT microkernel (OK)
> > > 2. the RT "app"       (OK)
> > > 3. Linux itself       (OK)
> > > 4. normal Linux apps  (ouch!)
> 
> > Whether that is true or not I don't know.  But I do know that if all
> > the stuff was GPLed, then you are safe no matter what, right? 
> 
> It's been asserted that the patent licence requires that _all_ userspace 
> apps running on the system by GPL'd. Yet there are many Free Software 
> applications in a standard Linux distribution that are under 
> GPL-incompatible licences. Apache, xinetd, etc...
> 
> If that interpretation is true, it _would_ be a problem, and not just for 
> those trying to make money from it.

It is a possible interpretation. The problem is that there is very broad
patent, a very vague patent licence and patent owner, who refuses to
answer the most simple questions. :-(

bye, Roman