Quoting Lennart Augustsson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> Dmitri wrote:
>
> > Quoting Lennart Augustsson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> >
> > > I'm trying to understand what the copyright for the firmware for the
> > > Keyspan serial adapters really means. It's certainly not GPL...
> > >
> > > "The firmware contained herein as keyspan_usa18x_fw.h is
> > > Copyright (C) 1999-2000 Keyspan, A division of InnoSys Incorporated
> > > ("Keyspan"), as an unpublished work. This notice does not imply
> > > unrestricted or public access to this firmware which is a trade secret of
> > > Keyspan, and which may not be reproduced, used, sold or transferred to any
> > > third party without Keyspan's prior written consent. All Rights Reserved.
> > >
> > > To me it sounds like even ftp-ing a copy of the source code for
> > > the driver made me violate the copyright. Can anyone enlighten me?
> >
> > If you downloaded it from Keyspan's server then the URI of the file
> > can be understood as "Keyspan's prior written consent" because the
> > only purpose of that URI would be to allow you to download the file,
> > and only Keyspan could create that URI, and without it you wouldn't
> > be able to find the file.
>
> But I didn't download anything from Keyspan. I downloaded the Linux
> kernel sources (which has this copyright in several files).
> So the file has been reproduced to a "third party" (=me) without
> Keyspan's written consent.
Then the language is clear. The firmware can not be put into the kernel
without separate written consent of Keyspan. This is not new. Often I
see that some project uses some library but does not redistribute it;
instead it tells you to go somewhere and get it on your own - exactly
because REdistribution is a pain. I believe Qt was one of such libs
at some point in time and I indeed went to TrollTech to get it.
Thanks,
Dmitri
--
Codito, ergo sum - "I code, therefore I am"
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