Bug#502665: KLSI USB-Ethernet adapter firmware

[Ben Hutchings]

On Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 07:21:39AM +, Bill Paul wrote:
[...]
> First, look here:
> 
> http://www.freebsd.org/~wpaul/KLSI
> 
> These are all of the files that I originally received from Kawasaki LSI
> when I first contacted them about writing a driver, as I originally
> received them. This includes the file containing the firmwre image. I
> was never given any firmware source.

I didn't expect you would have been.  But a BSD-licenced copy of the
firmware binary is clearly redistributable.

> You will note that there are no
> copyright headers at all, and when I spoke to the Kawasaki representative
> on the phone the subject of copyright on the firmware image never came up.
> They were just happy to have a driver for FreeBSD, and never made a fuss
> over it.
[...]

Then I think it's safe to assume that the firmware is (c) Kawasaki LSI
and that they were happy to licence it under a BSD licence as you have
attached.  Thanks for the information.

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings
Who are all these weirdos? - David Bowie, about L-Space IRC channel #afp


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Bug#502665: KLSI USB-Ethernet adapter firmware

[Ben Hutchings]

Bill,

I am writing as a member of the Debian project, which is attempting to
resolve the licencing of firmware used with Linux.

Linux includes a driver and firmware for the KLSI USB-Ethernet adapters
which are licenced under the GPLv2.  Applying the GPL to the firmware is
problematic, because the source distribution requirement cannot be
fulfilled!

I was hoping that we could substitute the firmware that's included in
your driver for FreeBSD.  However, the copyright header file of kue_fw.h
lists you as the copyright holder, which seems to be a mistake.  Did you
write your own firmware or is it copyright KLSI?  Is the licence text
(4-clause BSD) correct?

Ben.

-- 
Ben Hutchings


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