Re: SELinux to GPL or not to GPL

From: Crispin Cowan (crispinat_private)
Date: Thu Jun 06 2002 - 16:46:19 PDT

  • Next message: jmjonesat_private: "Re: SELinux to GPL or not to GPL"

    jmjonesat_private wrote:
    
    >Because of the
    >law, the Patent Owners *MUST* assert their rights if they ever expect to
    >have any recourse, and I think this may be a "dot i's and cross t's"
    >issue.  It might not be a real issue if NSA is working with them toward an
    >understanding.
    >
    This is misinformation. What JMJones says applies to TRADEMARK, not 
    patents. Patent holder's rights endure, regardless of prior actions. See 
    the UNISYS/GIF patent fiasco.
    
    >I don't see how it can possibly refer back to the *interface* which is the
    >main goal of this project (am I wrong?), except on the basis that
    >SELinux(NSA) was a major contributor.
    >
    I also see no impact from the TE patent to the LSM interface.
    
    >For my purposes, a license or court decision regarding SELinux's use of
    >this technology would be most interesting, and I'd hope and expect that
    >NSA is in negotiations now, or that SOMEBODY will say that the declaration
    >is invalid.
    >
    Since there is currently no dispute, don't hold your breath waiting for 
    a court decision.
    
    The statements from SCC regarding the TE patent are a little bit mumbly, 
    but seem to say that you can use it freely. SELinux users would probably 
    be more comfortable with an explicit declaration that SCC is releasing 
    the patent under the GPL.
    
    The most serious issue is the DTE patent, and its implications for the 
    open source DTE LSM module. I am not aware of any statements from NAI 
    regarding the availability of the DTE patent.
    
    Crispin
    
    -- 
    Crispin Cowan, Ph.D.
    Chief Scientist, WireX Communications, Inc. http://wirex.com
    Security Hardened Linux Distribution:       http://immunix.org
    Available for purchase: http://wirex.com/Products/Immunix/purchase.html
    
    
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