Re: [dm-devel] [RFC PATCH v5 00/11] Integrity Policy Enforcement LSM (IPE)

> > > (eg, a specification) will be critical for remote filesystems. > > > > > > If any of this is to be supported by a remote filesystem, then we > > > need an unencumbered description of the new metadata format > > > rather than code. GPL-encumbered formats cannot be contributed to > > > the NFS standard, and are probably difficult for other > > > filesystems that are not Linux-native, like SMB, as well. > > > > I don't understand what you mean by GPL encumbered formats. The > > GPL is a code licence not a data or document licence. > > IETF contributions occur under a BSD-style license incompatible > with the GPL. > > https://trustee.ietf.org/trust-legal-provisions.html > > Non-Linux implementers (of OEM storage devices) rely on such > standards processes to indemnify them against licensing claims. Well, that simply means we won't be contributing the Linux implementation, right? However, IETF doesn't require BSD for all implementations, so that's OK. > Today, there is no specification for existing IMA metadata formats, > there is only code. My lawyer tells me that because the code that > implements these formats is under GPL, the formats themselves cannot > be contributed to, say, the IETF without express permission from the > authors of that code. There are a lot of authors of the Linux IMA > code, so this is proving to be an impediment to contribution. That > blocks the ability to provide a fully-specified NFS protocol > extension to support IMA metadata formats. Well, let me put the counterpoint: I can write a book about how linux

device drivers work (which includes describing the data formats), for instance, without having to get permission from all the authors ... or is your lawyer taking the view we should be suing Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman for licence infringement? In fact do they think we now have a huge class action possibility against O'Reilly and a host of other publishers ...