[Arm-netbook] Amlogic AML8726-MX SoC kernel source code released

[lkcl luke]

On Sat, Aug 18, 2012 at 9:43 AM, Guo, Yifu <yifu.guo at bitsyn.com> wrote:
> Xin He from Amlogic informed me that the MX kernel source code (branch
> ics-mx-develop) is on openlinux.
>
> Here is the link:
> http://openlinux.amlogic.com/download/linux/GPL_code_release/2012-08-03/kernel-common-2012-08-03-git-a63244fb9c.tar.gz

 kernel "common".  as in "not actually useful for any specific
product".  and due to the GPL-violating NDA, any company making
"specific products" is NOT permitted under the terms of that
GPL-violating NDA to release the source code.

 this problem came up before with the KDE plasma "spark" tablet.  one
of the engineers working for the company that supplies the tablet
BROKE amlogic's NDA by releasing the GPL linux source code to the KDE
spark plasma team WITHOUT permission of his managers.  this therefore
throws the plasma spark project into a legal nightmare scenario.

if this engineer had actually asked he would have been told NO you
CANNOT release the code because we have signed an NDA with amlogic.
this would have placed that company into a GPL violations scenario,
and the plasma spark project would STILL be in a damned awkward
situation of working with a company that could, at any time, have a
lawsuit brought against them for copyright infringement.  copyright
infringment is very very serious, and penalties include impounding and
destruction of all products when they are imported.


> I have yet to play with it yet, but I figure you guys would like to know as
> well.
>
> I guess pestering pays off, in addition to AMlogic being a american based
> company that is much likely to comply with GPL.

 the problem is that AMLogic force its ODMs to sign a GPL-violating
NDA.  AMLogic have, due to this incompatible clause in their NDA,
*already* lost the right to distribute GPL linux kernel source code.

 once they have removed this GPL-violating clause from their NDA, and
have contacted all signatories releasing them from this incompatible
clause, they will then just need to contact all the developers of the
linux kernel to ask for permission to continue distributing linx
kernel source code.  all several thousand of them.

 l.