Re: What "module license" applies to public domain code?

From: H. Peter Anvin (hpa@zytor.com)
Date: Fri Feb 08 2002 - 17:33:26 EST


Followup to: <m16ZJNl-000OVeC@amadeus.home.nl>
By author: arjan@fenrus.demon.nl
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> In article <Pine.LNX.4.30.0202081632041.16834-100000@ran.antd.nist.gov> you wrote:
>
> > Of course, anyone else would be free to take the code and apply any
> > license whatsoever to it, but my concern is simply what MODULE_LICENSE()
> > line I can legitimately include, if any.
>
> how about
>
> MODULE_LICENSE("Dual GPL/Public Domain");
>
> this would need adding to the proper headers though
>

The thing is ... public domain isn't a license, it's disavowing
copyright. Part of what that means is that someone can take the work
and publish it under their own copyright.

For liability reasons, something that get published in the kernel
probably would have to be recopyrighted by someone else and GPL'd.

        -hpa

-- 
<hpa@transmeta.com> at work, <hpa@zytor.com> in private!
"Unix gives you enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot."
http://www.zytor.com/~hpa/puzzle.txt	<amsp@zytor.com>
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