Linux Not Changing License Structure

January 31, 2006: The father of Linux, Linus Torvalds has stated that the Linux kernel will not be moving to Gnu Public License (GPL) version 3 due to Digital Rights Management (DRM) issues.

Torvalds states in his email newsletter that: "The Linux kernel is under the GPL version 2. Not anything else. Some individual files are licenceable under v3, but not the kernel in general.

And quite frankly, I don't see that changing. I think it's insane to require people to make their private signing keys available, for example. I wouldn't do it. So I don't think the GPL v3 conversion is going to happen for the kernel, since I personally don't want to convert any of mycode."

When he writes about the insanity of making public "private key signings " he is referring to the GPL v3 clause: "Some countries have adopted laws prohibiting software that enables users to escape from Digital Restrictions Management. DRM is fundamentally incompatible with the purpose of the GPL, which is to protect users' freedom; therefore, the GPL ensures that the software it covers will neither be subject to, nor subject other works to, digital restrictions from which escape is forbidden."

Torvalds - with his more industry pragmatic approach to Open Source than the Free Software Federation which is responsible for the GNU licensing models - has made the connection between DRM (such as Sony's disastrous rootkit) the necessity under GPL3 to provide an 'escape' from any locked-in DRM code.

He also points out that: "The Linux kernel is under the GPL version 2. Not anything else. Some individual files are licenceable under v3, but not the kernel in general."

Whether, in the less philosophical world of commercial software, the retention of GNU2 by the Linux kernel will actually effect anything other than digital media players on Suse v13 (for example) is for history to decide. But as ever IDM will keep you up to date.

?

Related Article:
Microsoft enters Sony BMG's DRM drama