Xorg copyright infrigement

[Luc Verhaegen]

On Sun, Apr 27, 2014 at 11:14:40AM +0200, Mateusz Jończyk wrote:
> W dniu 02.04.2014 14:33, Mateusz Jończyk pisze:
> > As mentioned further in the comment:
> > 
> > + * Comments and structure corresponds to the comments and structure of the xls.
> > + * This should ease importing of future changes to the standard (not very
> > + * likely though).
> > 
> > The mathematical formula is not copyrightable, but the order of computations,
> > separation into the steps, etc. is.
> > I may CC debian-legal for some guidance.
> > 
> > I will write to the email address mentioned in the spreadsheet. Let's see if it is
> > active.
> > 
> 
> BUMP!
> Any progress on this?
> It should be fairly easy to cleanly rewrite, but I desperately don't have any time
> now - have to work on my Master thesis.
> 
> This code has drifted to the kernel and probably some other programs (at least CVT,
> but as I see it is based on the same code).
> It can be currently found at least in
> http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/tree/hw/xfree86/modes/xf86cvt.c
> and
> http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/tree/hw/xwayland/xwayland-cvt.c
> 
> In Linux:
> drivers/video/fbdev/core/fbcvt.c
> drivers/gpu/drm/drm_modes.c
> 
> 
> Greetings,
> Mateusz Jończyk

Thanks so very much for taking me in CC.

I am quite certain that if i hadn't mentioned the origins of these 
calculations, you would never have bothered. I amazed that you bother 
now, now that it spread to a buzzword project.

I clearly explained the origins for a reason: namely so that we could 
update our code to match in the unlikely case some changes happen, i 
even explained that reasoning.

CVT is a VESA standard. I did not and do not have access to VESA 
documents, and the dog ate the Xorg boards homework, as noone seems to 
remember what happened to the Xorg VESA membership. My feeling however 
is that this spreadsheet is a rather direct implementation of the VESA 
standard, and that if the Xorg board gets its act together (for a 
change), we will actually be able to verify where this information 
originally came from.

The xls however, felt as if it was meant as a reference implementation, 
aimed at improving the proliferation of CVT. If graham does get 
contacted, i think he would agree.

Now, before we do get access to those documents, how are you intending 
to circumvent this claimed copyright infringement without infringing 
yourself under your very strict rules?

Luc Verhaegen.