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
b/ Is any royalty due for the sale of Y
EX 2/ Company X makes proprietary application Y which use of RTAILinux,
questions:
a/ Does X have to release the source code for Y
b/ Is any royalty due for the sale of Y
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
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>
> --
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> 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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