Draft GNU GPLv3 (General Public License) language would require embedded systems and devices incorporating GPLv3-licensed software to be user-modifiable, stated license author Richard Stallman in a recent speech. The draft license's “anti-tivoization” rider drew criticism early on from Linus Torvalds, who called it “insane.” Where do LinuxDevices readers stand?

Stallman spoke about changes to the GPL at the second annual GPLv3 conference in Brazil on Apr. 21st. A transcript was published May 10 by the Free Software Foundation of Europe.

Stallman and Software Freedom Law Center head Eben Moglen are leading an effort to update the GPL, through a community process. However, as license copyright holder, Stallman has the ultimate say on GPLv3's final language. The current draft is here.

In his speech at the GPLv3 conference, Stallman said the current draft was designed to prevent what he calls “tivoization,” a practice in which systems are configured to function only with their original, vendor-supplied software. Tivoization flouts “Freedom number 1, the freedom to change the source code so that it will do what you want,” Stallman said.

Stallman named “tivoization” after TiVo, a DVR (digital video recorder) vendor that, he says, limits user modifications to ensure that it can “spy” on the user — reporting what they watch — and to prevent users from copying recorded content out of the device, a form of “Digital Restrictions Management” (DRM), as he calls it.

Stallman explains GPLv3's method of proscribing tivoization as follows:

They can design the hardware so that it requires the binaries to be signed by a certain signature key in order to run, but they must give you the signature key so that you can sign your modified binaries. They must give you whatever it takes to authorize your version so that it will run.

In his early criticism of the GPLv3 draft, Torvalds focused precisely on this requirement, writing in a post on the Linux kernel mailing list:

The Linux kernel is under the GPL version 2. Not anything else. Some individual files are licenseable under v3, but not the kernel in general.

And quite frankly, I don't see that changing. I think it's insane to require people to make their private signing keys available, for example. I wouldn't do it. So I don't think the GPL v3 conversion is going to happen for the kernel, since I personally don't want to convert any of my code.

Stallman goes on to discuss additional changes in GPLv3 that include:

• Grant of permission to access generated data
• Software patents “explicit patent grant” and “narrow retaliation”
• License compatibility

The full transcription can be found at the Free Software Foundation Europe website, here.

What do you think?

Key publication requirements could prove controversial among commercial embedded Linux users, who often balance a variety of legal obligations. OS and image verification may be considered critical requirements for vendors in casino gaming, medical equipment, military and defense, surveillance, voting equipment, and other markets.

On the other hand, embedded Linux developers are uniquely qualified to improve consumer electronics devices, if ensured of having access. Although, even here there could be issues: vendors of FCC-certified devices such as mobile phones and wireless networking devices are obliged to prevent users from changing power, frequency, and other characteristics that could cause interference or affect safety.

The specific language in the current GPLv3 draft that seems to apply to this issue appears to be:

Complete Corresponding Source Code also includes any encryption or authorization codes necessary to install and/or execute the source code of the work, perhaps modified by you, in the recommended or principal context of use, such that its functioning in all circumstances is identical to that of the work, except as altered by your modifications.

For additional perspective on this potentially significant issue, we turned to busybox originator and open source license expert Bruce Perens. His comments are in this brief interview.

If you have an opinion, we invite you to voice it here:

 
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