file drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h is not free

[Markus Laire]

The file drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h which is included at least in kernel source version 2.6.24-16.30 contains firmware with the following license:

 * This material is licensed to you strictly for use in conjunction with
 * the use of COPS LocalTalk adapters.

This license doesn't give any of the four freedoms mentioned in http://www.ubuntu.com/community/ubuntustory/philosophy and so should be removed.

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and test.

--or--

2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4. Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced. You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.

Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26 kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.

[KarlGoetz (kgoetz)]

On Thu, 2008-08-28 at 18:10 +0000, Leann Ogasawara wrote:
> The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the
> upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would
> appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel.
> There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

This is a rubish boilerplate reply to a bug.
Its made doubly useless by the fact installing a binary kernel package
*wont tell me* if the source has been fixed.

Please make your copy-paste relevent.

> Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the
> bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please
> open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the
> 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please
> specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26
> kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.
>
> ** Tags added: cft-2.6.27
>
--
Karl Goetz, (Kamping_Kaiser / VK5FOSS)
Debian user / gNewSense contributor
http://www.kgoetz.id.au
No, I won't join your social networking group

[KarlGoetz (kgoetz)]

And yes, the bug is still present:

kgoetz@wesnoth:~/Desktop/ubuntulinux$ dget https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/intrepid/+source/linux/2.6.27-2.3/+files/linux_2.6.27-2.3.dsc
dget: retrieving https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/intrepid/+source/linux/2.6.27-2.3/+files/linux_2.6.27-2.3.dsc
  % Total % Received % Xferd Average Speed Time Time Time Current
                                 Dload Upload Total Spent Left Speed
100 1227 100 1227 0 0 63 0 0:00:19 0:00:19 --:--:-- 1783
dget: using existing linux_2.6.27-2.3.tar.gz
kgoetz@wesnoth:~/Desktop/ubuntulinux$ dpkg-source -x *dsc
gpg: Signature made Fri 29 Aug 2008 02:33:06 CST using DSA key ID 60E80B5B
gpg: Can't check signature: public key not found
dpkg-source: extracting linux in linux-2.6.27
dpkg-source: unpacking linux_2.6.27-2.3.tar.gz
kgoetz@wesnoth:~/Desktop/ubuntulinux$ ls linux-2.6.27/drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h
-rw-r--r-- 1 kgoetz kgoetz 21K 2008-05-25 10:12 linux-2.6.27/drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h
kgoetz@wesnoth:~/Desktop/ubuntulinux$ head -n 40 linux-2.6.27/drivers/net/appletalk/cops_ffdrv.h

/*
 * The firmware this driver downloads into the Localtalk card is a
 * separate program and is not GPL'd source code, even though the Linux
 * side driver and the routine that loads this data into the card are.
 *
 * It is taken from the COPS SDK and is under the following license
 *
 * This material is licensed to you strictly for use in conjunction with
 * the use of COPS LocalTalk adapters.
 * There is no charge for this SDK. And no waranty express or implied
 * about its fitness for any purpose. However, we will cheerefully
 * refund every penny you paid for this SDK...
 * Regards,
 *
 * Thomas F. Divine
 * Chief Scientist
 */

/* cops_ffdrv.h: LocalTalk driver firmware dump for Linux.
 *
 * Authors:
 * - Jay Schulist <email address hidden>
 */

#ifdef CONFIG_COPS_DAYNA

static const unsigned char ffdrv_code[] = {
        58,3,0,50,228,149,33,255,255,34,226,149,
        249,17,40,152,33,202,154,183,237,82,77,68,
        11,107,98,19,54,0,237,176,175,50,80,0,
        62,128,237,71,62,32,237,57,51,62,12,237,
        57,50,237,57,54,62,6,237,57,52,62,12,
        237,57,49,33,107,137,34,32,128,33,83,130,
        34,40,128,33,86,130,34,42,128,33,112,130,
        34,36,128,33,211,130,34,38,128,62,0,237,
        57,16,33,63,148,34,34,128,237,94,205,15,
        130,251,205,168,145,24,141,67,111,112,121,114,

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Per a decision made by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, bugs will longer be assigned to the ubuntu-kernel-team in Launchpad as part of the bug triage process. The ubuntu-kernel-team is being unassigned from this bug report. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies for more information. Thanks.

[Mitch Towner (kermiac)]

@ Fail2Ban: Please do not add new tasks to old bug reports without commenting to advise why you have done this.
Thanks in advance!

[Mitch Towner (kermiac)]

sorry that should have been:
@ Fail2Ban: please do not assign tags without first reading https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Tags
Thanks in advance!

Sorry for the bugmail spam - I'm currently cleaning up a lot of bugs & pasted the wrong comment. Sorry.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

That doesn't seem to be a valid copyright license at all, since it does not state the material is copyrighted, when, by whom, nor grant any license to copy and/or distribute. Either the original material was flawed, leaving it now under public domain, or whoever added it to the kernel failed to provide the proper notice, and may have infringed on the original copyright, and it may need to be removed from the upstream kernel. Figuring out which will require tracking down the original source, which I can not find. I have emailed <email address hidden> asking for clarification.

[penalvch (penalvch)]

The license as stated is not enough to pull from anything.