Hacker News Reader

GPL should add a clause: "If you're a large enterprise making money off of Linux and provide services/products to Windows and Mac users but not the exact same to Linux users; your enterprise is no longer authorized to use or run Linux in any capacity.".

View on HN

The FSF will almost certainly never do that, and even if they did, Linux isn't licensed under "GPLv2 or Later." It's just under GPLv2, probably forever.

Linux could change it if every single copyright holder consented, but that's even less likely than the FSF adding a field of endeavor restriction to the GPL. Google owns partial copyright to Linux. Other copyright holders are gone, and nobody knows who the heir is.

I am clueless about these licensing matters. How does Google own partial copyright to Linux? I thought Linux is something independent.

Each contributor to Linux retains the copyright to their contributions.

Google is a pretty big Linux contributor.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com