Re: License go no go?

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crispinat_private

Dragan Stancevic wrote:

>I was wondering about the licensing issues with using the LSM. I am porting an 
>intrusion detection software from Solaris to Linux and writing a LSM module 
>would save a lot of time. It's a great framework.
>
>I read Linus' emails about it on l-k but it just confused me more since I 
>don't think he fully answered the questions that some people had.
>
I agree: Linus did not fully answer the question of whether proprietary 
LSM modules are possible. However, even if Linus did answer the 
question, his answer might not be authoritative. My humble opinion:

    * If you patch the Linux kernel directly, it is inescapable: your
      patch is GPL'd code.
    * If you provide an LSM module, you *might* be able to get away with
      keeping the module proprietary. Emphasis on "might"; this is
      highly controversial, and there are those among the authors of the
      Linux kernel who passionately believe that all LSM modules are
      derived works of the Linux kernel, and thus subject to its GPL
      license.

BIG Caveat: I am not a lawyer, and my opinion here *certainly* is not 
authoritative. If you plan to ship a proprietary module, you do so at 
your own risk, and you had best get your own IP lawyer.

Crispin

-- 
Crispin Cowan, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist, WireX                      http://wirex.com/~crispin/
Security Hardened Linux Distribution:       http://immunix.org
Available for purchase: http://wirex.com/Products/Immunix/purchase.html