From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S264254AbTLEQic (ORCPT ); Fri, 5 Dec 2003 11:38:32 -0500 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S264259AbTLEQic (ORCPT ); Fri, 5 Dec 2003 11:38:32 -0500 Received: from mail.willden.org ([63.226.98.113]:23430 "EHLO zedd.willden.org") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S264254AbTLEQiS convert rfc822-to-8bit (ORCPT ); Fri, 5 Dec 2003 11:38:18 -0500 From: Shawn Willden To: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Subject: Re: Linux GPL and binary module exception clause? Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2003 09:38:08 -0700 User-Agent: KMail/1.5.93 Cc: Ryan Anderson References: <20031205140304.GF17870@michonline.com> In-Reply-To: <20031205140304.GF17870@michonline.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Type: Text/Plain; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8BIT Message-Id: <200312050938.10607.shawn-lkml@willden.org> Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Friday 05 December 2003 07:03 am, Ryan Anderson wrote: > Compile it. > Run the resulting executable (ignoring the case law that says copying > into ram is a copy under copyright law) That case law can be safely ignored in the US, since it was superseded by real law, passed in 1980. Per section 117 of Title 17 of the US Code: - ---------------- (a) Making of Additional Copy or Adaptation by Owner of Copy. — Notwithstanding the provisions of section 106, it is not an infringement for the owner of a copy of a computer program to make or authorize the making of another copy or adaptation of that computer program provided: (1) that such a new copy or adaptation is created as an essential step in the utilization of the computer program in conjunction with a machine and that it is used in no other manner, or - ---------------- So copies to disk and RAM that are "an essential step in the utilization of the computer program" are non-infringing. Shawn. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.3 (GNU/Linux) iD8DBQE/0LRwp1Ep1JptinARAjrbAJ0RAa2axjrFABHgG1loqmxa6KTn0ACcCz1s Q+DC9COjk+uv+FqdZ8kTg+g= =N1sB -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----