On Thu, Jan 27, 2000 at 04:06:04PM +0000, Stuart Hughes wrote:
> Hi Victor
>
> Just to get this clear, can you answer a couple of questions against
> specific examples:
>
> EX 1/ Company X makes proprietary application Y which use of RTLinux,
> questions:
>
> a/ Does X have to release the source code for Y
No.
> b/ Is any royalty due for the sale of Y
No.
(both assuming no change to RTLinux)
>
> EX 2/ Company X makes proprietary application Y which use of RTAILinux,
> questions:
>
> a/ Does X have to release the source code for Y
No.
> b/ Is any royalty due for the sale of Y
No -- unless Y is sold with some OS that needs to pay.
If Y depends on an OS that uses the technology, that OS must have
a license.
In general terms:
Apps don't need a license. RTLinux comes with its own license.
If you provide an OS with something that is not
vanilla RTLinux, you do need a license.
If you need a license and you follow GPL strictly and publish code, and
you inform users that you have deviated from the RTLinux standard (or not
deviated), and you use Linux as the base OS, then you get a free license.
> Please note that I mean uses RTLinux/RTAI and not extends, certainly
> things that extend either should have their code released.
>
> If you can answer this I think it would put all our minds at rest.
>
> Regards, Stuart
>
>
>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >
> > Details of the license are being worked out by Linux International
> > attorneys. There has been a long delay in getting this done, because
> > everyone involved is way too busy and because Linus and I had discussed this
> > before and were in agreement.
> > The basic idea is that if you use RTLinux you pay no
> > royalties. If you use a different "realtime" component for Linux you
> > also pay no royalties, but you are required to say whether or not
> > you are compatible with RTLinux -- where compatibility is determined
> > by a regression test we will provide --- and you are required to
> > meet the GPL by publishing your source code on Linux Internationl
> > or Linux.org's web pages to make it open. Other base OS's are not covered.
> >
> > What you should think of the patent depends on who you are. If you are
> > an RTLinux user, or even if you use some other version of realtime Linux,
> > then you should be thrilled that there is some legal protection for using the
> > system royalty free and you should send me some money to help me pay the
> > extensive legal fees involved.
> >
> > If you want to use my idea for a non-Linux or non open project, you should
> > think about how to pay. The main purpose of the patent was defensive as I
> > did not want to find myself paying royalties to someone else to use my
> > idea. But I have no objections to collecting fees from people who want to
> > do this on Windows.
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 27, 2000 at 08:19:24AM -0600, Jerry Epplin wrote:
> > > What are we to make of Victor's software patent "Adding
> > > real-time support to general purpose operating systems"
> > > (US patent no. 5995745)? This patent appears to cover
> > > the basic principles behind RTL; including running a
> > > non-real-time OS as one task of an RTOS, and preventing
> > > the non-real-time OS from disabling preemption by the
> > > RTOS.
> > >
> > > Perhaps this patent is directed toward the various
> > > commercial products, such as those for NT by RadiSys
> > > and VenturCom. However, it also appears to cover the
> > > design of RTAI, if I understand the design of that
> > > system correctly. It would also preclude other
> > > open-source designs; such as, say, a real-time FreeBSD
> > > based on the same principles as RTL. Modified versions
> > > of RTL itself would presumably also violate the patent.
> > >
> > > The file 'PATENT' in the 2.1 distribution contains an
> > > ambiguous statement which appears to grant a royalty
> > > free license to certain users of RTL. Victor,
> > > could you provide a clarification of this statement,
> > > specifying the exact conditions under which one may
> > > use the methods claimed in the patent?
> > >
> > > Jerry
> > > --- [rtl] ---
> > > To unsubscribe:
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> > > ----
> > > For more information on Real-Time Linux see:
> > > http://www.rtlinux.org/~rtlinux/
> >
> > --
> > ---------------------------------------------------------
> > Victor Yodaiken
> > FSMLabs: www.fsmlabs.com www.rtlinux.com
> > FSMLabs is a servicemark and a service of
> > VJY Associates L.L.C, New Mexico.
> >
> > --- [rtl] ---
> > To unsubscribe:
> > echo "unsubscribe rtl" | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR
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> > ----
> > For more information on Real-Time Linux see:
> > http://www.rtlinux.org/~rtlinux/
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Victor Yodaiken
FSMLabs: www.fsmlabs.com www.rtlinux.com
FSMLabs is a servicemark and a service of
VJY Associates L.L.C, New Mexico.
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To unsubscribe:
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----
For more information on Real-Time Linux see:
http://www.rtlinux.org/~rtlinux/
