From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from smtp1.linuxfoundation.org (smtp1.linux-foundation.org [172.17.192.35]) by mail.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id AAF4F949 for ; Wed, 24 Aug 2016 21:33:51 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mx2.suse.de (mx2.suse.de [195.135.220.15]) by smtp1.linuxfoundation.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 366FF14E for ; Wed, 24 Aug 2016 21:33:51 +0000 (UTC) Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2016 23:33:49 +0200 (CEST) From: Jiri Kosina To: James Bottomley In-Reply-To: <1472073661.2570.42.camel@HansenPartnership.com> Message-ID: References: <20160824130832.GA28564@kroah.com> <1472052583.61594.577.camel@infradead.org> <20160824174724.GE30853@kroah.com> <1472063065.2545.12.camel@HansenPartnership.com> <20160824204141.GA3114@kroah.com> <1472073661.2570.42.camel@HansenPartnership.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Cc: ksummit-discuss@lists.linuxfoundation.org Subject: Re: [Ksummit-discuss] [CORE TOPIC] GPL defense issues List-Id: List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , On Wed, 24 Aug 2016, James Bottomley wrote: > > > about this in a setting like this, we open ourselves up to being > > > part of any lawsuits that are discussed. That's _really_ dangerous > > > > Is it? What if a person actually wouldn't mind to participate because > > he actually believes in what the lawsuit is trying to achieve, and > > would be happy to provide his testimony in a lawsuit if need be? > > Even if it's VMware compelling you as witness for their case? As I said, this first of course needs to be resolved between each individual person and his/her employer, because mileage might vary a lot due to contract differences. But in a hypothetical case of an individual either not contributing to kernel under emploympent contract, or an individual having a clearance from his employer to act in this particular matter solely on his own (with the copyright not being assigned to the company, etc), why not? > > But I don't understand your implication that having yourself dragged > > into a GPL enforcement lawsuit is somehow a personal disaster. > > The specific problem is that we, as kernel developers, are used to > giving frank and unvarnished opinions, which are totally unlike the > carefully phrased non-statements that lawyers usually make. Fine, if > what you've said helps Christoph or other plaintifs, but consider what > happens if an unguarded statement of yours ends up helping the alleged > violator because it can be construed in a way you didn't intend. This, > exactly, is the fear and, I think, you would regard something like this > as a bit of a disaster. Sure, but if everyone is "just afraid" to provide a sincere testimony (especially if this includes just people from one side of the dispute), then I wouldn't put my bets on a positive result of the lawsuit. -- Jiri Kosina SUSE Labs