Sam Leffler

Linux: Continuing Dual-Licensing Discussions

Submitted by Jeremy
on September 4, 2007 - 1:38pm
Linux news

Discussion continues on the Linux Kernel mailing list about the legality and morality of re-licensing BSD/GPL dual-licensed code under only the GPL. Alan Cox replied to Theo de Raadt's comments suggesting he was encouraging people to break the law, "re-read my email and then apologize. I do question the .h files where they are BSD licence and no changes were made to the work. I also point out that the dual licence on that code appears to give permission to distribute under one of those licences by choice." In response to Theo's request that code be shared both ways rather than converted to a sole GPL, "that's about the first thing I would agree on - its somewhat rude and not something I personally would usually choose todo." He then cautioned that this was a limitation of the BSD license:

"If OpenBSD wants a world where code must be returned, but you can mix it with free code in a product in some fashion and do binary only releases then OpenBSD needs to fix its licencing. Not to GPL which is clearly not the BSD intention but to something which does what BSD wants rather than an academic research licence developed thirty odd years ago for the purpose of showing that US research funds were properly spent. Perhaps its time for BSD2 licencing?"