On Sun, Nov 11, 2012 at 1:45 AM, Saku Ytti <s...@ytti.fi> wrote: > ... Or is GPL not really problematic > issue, as you can hide your intellectual property in binary kernel modules?
GPLv2, which governs the Linux Kernel, does tolorate use of binary kernel modules under some conditions (the classic example is the nVidia driver blob which uses a GPL shim). Regardless, most lawyers would advise a company to avoid being a test case for some of the poorly defined terms used in the license, including "derivative work". A recent paper discussing the issue can be found at: "LOADED QUESTION: EXAMINING LOADABLE KERNEL MODULES UNDER THE GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE V2" http://digital.law.washington.edu/dspace-law/bitstream/handle/1773.1/1115/7WJLTA265.pdf?sequence=8 Gary
