Re: [RFC PATCH 0/6] Boot logo supplied by the device tree

Màxim Pedraza Padilla <[email protected]> Tue, 4 Aug 2026 17:59:15 +0200
Newsgroups org.freedesktop.lists.dri-devel,org.kernel.vger.linux-devicetree,org.kernel.vger.linux-fbdev,org.kernel.vger.linux-kernel
Message-ID <CAEUXW=FxgN9Zj-1eR2MdxMTyyKTMTUSYHpkcCpuvZKnGYJ-zTA@mail.gmail.com>
El mar, 4 ago 2026 a las 7:25, Ulrich Ölmann
(<[email protected]>) escribió:
> I think the issue is broader than upstream submissions. Once such a
> device tree is shipped as part of a GPL kernel in a product, the GPL
> obligations already apply to that distribution. Therefore, the licensing
> implications of embedding a proprietary logo are not limited to upstream
> acceptance, they also affect downstream product distributions.

Point taken, thanks for spelling it out. I am not qualified to argue the
legal side and will not try to, but I follow the reasoning.

In practice it reinforces the reserved memory path, which is the one we
ship: there the device tree carries only a phandle and the placement,
and the image stays a separate file with its own licensing, handled like
any other asset in the product.

Max