LICENSE.aic94xx-seq in linux-firmware - is this firmware distributable?

[Timothy Chen]

For this specific license it appears that this License is rather restrictive. In clause two it appears that this package cannot be distributed.

I think this is a bug right? :)

The Fedora Core 18 counterpart looks like:

http://pkgs.fedoraproject.org/cgit/aic94xx-firmware.git/tree/LICENSE.aic94xx?h=f18

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Hi Timothy,

Is this firmware distributed with Ubuntu? I don't see it in the linux-firmware repository.

[Timothy Chen (timothychen)]

Hey Joseph -

Pretty sure.

See: linux-firmware_1.79.1.tar.gz

./LICENSE.aic94xx-seq
./aic94xx-seq.fw

But I could be wrong. Am I?

[Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)]

The Ubuntu linux-firmware package is based on git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/firmware/linux-firmware.git. Please contact the upstream maintainers about this issue.

[Tim Gardner (timg-tpi)]

It appears my assessment was too hasty. This firmware file is not part of the upstream linux-firmware git repository. The Adaptec license does indeed restrict redistribution. I can't do anything about older releases since those ISOs have already been created, but I'll remove both firmware and license from Trusty until the license issues are clarified.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package linux-firmware - 1.121

---------------
linux-firmware (1.121) trusty; urgency=low

  * Forgot to remove aic94xx from debian/scsi-firmware.lst
    Fixes FTBS

linux-firmware (1.120) trusty; urgency=low

  * Remove aic94xx-seq.fw and license. It has been pointed out
    that this firmware is likely not redistributable.
    -LP: #1101636
 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Fri, 10 Jan 2014 14:09:21 -0700

[Chris J Arges (arges)]

Hello Timothy, or anyone else affected,

Accepted linux-firmware into precise-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware/1.79.15 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

[Ben Howard (darkmuggle-deactivatedaccount)]

Marking as verification done. I've confirmed that the problematic firmware is missing.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

This bug was fixed in the package linux-firmware - 1.79.15

---------------
linux-firmware (1.79.15) precise; urgency=medium

  * Remove aic94xx-seq.fw and license. It has been pointed out
    that this firmware is likely not redistributable.
    -LP: #1101636
 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Fri, 06 Jun 2014 13:42:08 -0600

[Adam Conrad (adconrad)]

The verification of the Stable Release Update for linux-firmware has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regresssions.

[Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel-gimpelevich)]

All this because all copies must retain the copyright notice?

[KennoVO (kenno-xs4all)]

I had the same confusion as you. The only way I could make sense out of it all is that Canonical did not obtain the same (non-transferable) "distributor" license as Fedora core (and perhaps Debian), and instead must abide by the end-user license license:
http://www.adaptec.com/adapteccom/templates/driverdetail.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fen-us%2fspeed%2fscsi%2flinux%2faic94xx-seq-30-1_tar_gz.htm&NRCACHEHINT=Guest
which would indeed forbid distribution.

[Jamie (jamie-owens)]

What is one to do, with a server with a aic-94xx controller? Ubuntu 12.10 was fine then I upgraded then it would not boot. Had to boot with old kernel

Went to do a fresh install of 14.04 and it did not find any drives cause the RAID was enabled on the aic-94xx.

[yamato (openkaz)]

I found the Adaptec license in "copyright" file.
I suppose this issue occured again, right?

http://changelogs.ubuntu.com/changelogs/pool/main/l/linux-firmware/linux-firmware_1.173.9/copyright

I have reported this.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-firmware/+bug/1844471