Invitation to ubuntu developers

[Matthew Garrett]

On Sat, Nov 25, 2006 at 01:39:51PM +0100, Dennis Kaarsemaker wrote:

(reply-to: set to sounder)

> * The drivers don't violate the GPL

Before people make pronouncements about whether or not anything we ship 
breaches the GPL, it would be helpful if they could provide their legal 
credentials and background in copyright law. The issues here are 
complicated and unclear, and it's unlikely that anyone can give a 
definitive statement about whether or not the drivers we ship are a 
legal problem or not.

What we *can* say is that nobody feels that any GPL-violations on 
Ubuntu's behalf are sufficiently clear-cut that they've threatened legal 
action. Which may mean that they don't violate the GPL, or may mean that 
nobody is willing to risk the costs involved in losing a case.

> * If you call the reaction the 'binary driver decision' caused a 
>   shockwave, then what should we call the reaction caused by the patent 
>   deal? Armageddon?

This is really not the place to discuss non-technical issues relating to 
other distributions. I doubt that sounder is either.
-- 
Matthew Garrett | mjg59 at srcf.ucam.org