Update releases/2.0/2.0.0/ip_compliance_note.rst

releases/2.0/2.0.0/ip_compliance_note.rst

+.. SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Alberto Pianon <pianon@array.eu> and Carlo Piana <piana@array.eu>
+..
+.. SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
+
+
+
+IP Compliance Note
+==================
+
+Since the very beginning, a Continuous Compliance `toolchain`_ and `process`_
+have been developed and integrated in the Oniro project development, so that
+source components used to generate Oniro binary images are continuously scanned
+by open source tools like `Fossology`_ and `Scancode`_, and reviewed by Software
+Audit Experts and IP Lawyers. [1]_
+
+For detailed information about the why and the how of such process, please refer
+to the Oniro Compliance Toolchain’s `official documentation`_. Sources and
+documentation for custom components of the toolchain (`tinfoilhat`_,
+`aliens4friends`_, `dashboard`_, `pipelines`_) can be found in their respective
+repositories.
+
+*TL;DR*: we put ourselves in your shoes (a device maker willing to use Oniro to
+develop its products), and we simulated the IP compliance work that you would
+have to do on third party components fetched by Yocto recipes to build your
+firmware image(s), in order to spot possible legal risks and issues. In the true
+open source spirit, every time we found an issue with a particular upstream
+component, we raised that issue upstream, and most of the time we got that
+solved for you by upstream developers.
+
+As of Oniro’s Goofy GA Release, there are just a few issues left that cannot be
+addressed by us (involving proprietary firmware/drivers for hardware support and
+some patent-covered technologies) and which require your attention (and possibly
+an action on your side - eg. getting a patent license). We will briefly explain
+these here.
+
+The overall status of audit activities can be monitored through a
+`dedicated dashboard`_, which gets updated after every commit to Oniro's main
+repository. In such dashboard, also CVE information (collected at the time of
+the commit) is shown and can be filtered based on target machines, images and
+single components.
+
+*Disclaimer#1*: This is not legal advice. This note is provided just as a
+convenience for you, to suggest some critical areas in which you should seek
+legal advice if you want to develop real-world products based on Oniro. It is
+not meant to be complete nor to substitute internal due-diligence activities you
+need to perform before marketing your products.
+
+*Disclaimer#2*: This note covers only source components used to generate
+supported Oniro images (oniro-image-base and zephyr-philosophers) for supported
+target machines (qemux86-64, qemux86, qemuarm-efi, qemuarm64-efi,
+raspberrypi4-64, seco-intel-b68, seco-px30-d23, seco-imx8mm-c61-2gb,
+seco-imx8mm-c61-4gb, qemu-cortex-m3, 96b-avenger96, nrf52840dk-nrf52840,
+arduino-nano-33-ble).
+
+*Disclaimer#3*: “supported” *referred to a board* means that a board is
+officially targeted as a potential platform where an Oniro image can be
+installed for any purposes; when *referred to an image*, means that the imagine
+targeting a supported board receives thorough testing and specific attention
+during the development. It does NOT mean that both will receive support services
+nor that any member of the Oniro Working Group or of the Eclipse Foundation will
+provide any warranty whatsoever.
+
+Solved Issues
+-------------
+
+-  There was a proprietary software font accidentally included in
+   zephyr-philosophers; we opened the issue upstream
+   (https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/issues/48111), which was solved
+   (https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/pull/49103), and the fix was
+   backported to Oniro.
+   (https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/meta-zephyr/-/commit/0f36ae849d59da08e445af83f711a1c0108dd3bf);
+
+-  A similar issue was found also in Harfbuzz component, raised upstream
+   (https://github.com/harfbuzz/harfbuzz/issues/3845), fixed
+   (https://github.com/harfbuzz/harfbuzz/pull/3846), and the fix was backported
+   to Oniro
+   (https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/oniro/-/commit/fbb4bc229b287fa293439ee0adbb0d830764b2d8).
+
+-  There were a lot of binary files found in zephyr-philosophers, without
+   corresponding sources and no clear license information; we opened the issue
+   upstream
+   (https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/meta-zephyr/-/commit/0f36ae849d59da08e445af83f711a1c0108dd3bf),
+   which was then fixed
+   (https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr/pull/47181), and the fix was
+   backported to Oniro.
+   (https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/meta-zephyr/-/commit/a00d1c4f1aad8b0ea5b9f904966c0bd8a48d8d80)
+
+-  Some proprietary license headers, not granting redistribution nor any other
+   rights without a written permission by Intel, were found in some source files
+   in Intel-Media-SDK component; we opened the issue upstream
+   (https://github.com/Intel-Media-SDK/MediaSDK/issues/2937) and it turned out
+   it was an oversight occurred when open sourcing the component; it was then
+   fixed (https://github.com/Intel-Media-SDK/MediaSDK/pull/2939) and the fix was
+   backported to Oniro.
+   (https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/oniro/-/commit/d5ee837d90903d91a1ff358ebfe985d28925484e);
+
+-  A similar issue was found also in Intel-Media-Driver component, it was raised
+   upstream (https://github.com/intel/media-driver/issues/1460), fixed
+   (https://github.com/intel/media-driver/pull/1465), and the fix was backported
+   to Oniro
+   (https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/oniro/-/commit/b56de944568c8e348cb8265c59d7cfd52a0831b9)
+
+Warnings for Downstream Users: Hardware Support
+-----------------------------------------------
+
+Linux
+~~~~~
+
+IMX Firmware
+^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+A couple of supported target boards (seco-imx8mm-c61-2gb and
+seco-imx8mm-c61-4gb) require a Freescale proprietary VPU library to work, which
+in turn requires the acceptance of an `EULA`_ by the user (you). Such acceptance
+may be provided by flagging a specific environment variable (``ACCEPT_FSL_EULA =
+"1"``) in your configuration file (please refer to Oniro’s technical
+documentation). You should carefully read that `EULA`_ to check whether you are
+actually in a position to accept it and whether you can fulfill all of its
+conditions. If needed, seek legal advice for that.
+
+Linux-firmware
+^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+
+The third party components ``linux-firmware`` and ``linux-firmware-rpidistro``
+contain many sub-components (mainly firmware BLOBs) for specific hardware
+support, coming from different hardware vendors.
+
+Almost all firmware vendor licenses restrict firmware usage to the specific
+device(s) of their own.
+
+Some of them (apparently) contain further restrictions, stating that the binary
+file is licensed *“for use with [vendor] devices, but not as a part of the Linux
+kernel or in any other form which would require these files themselves to be
+covered by the terms of the GNU General Public License”*. Our understanding is
+that such restriction is redundant, since apparently there is no way in which a
+firmware blob may become *part* of the Linux kernel and therefore be covered by
+the GNU General Public License. But you should seek legal advice on that if you
+need to use the affected firmware files:
+
+================================= ================================================== ======================== ============================
+Source                            Device/driver                                      File(s)                  License found in
+================================= ================================================== ======================== ============================
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ Conexant Cx23100/101/102 USB broadcast A/V decoder v4l-cx231xx-avcore-01.fw WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ meson-vdec - Amlogic video decoder                 meson/vdec/\*            LICENSE.amlogic_vdec, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ lt9611uxc - Lontium DSI to HDMI bridge             lt9611uxc_fw.bin         LICENSE.Lontium, WHENCE
+================================= ================================================== ======================== ============================
+
+Some other firmware files are covered by proprietary licenses that contain
+termination clauses providing that either party may terminate the license at any
+time without cause, which may work as killswitches (i.e. vendor may terminate
+your license at any time without any reason, so your devices - including already
+distributed ones - may lose, say, Bluetooth or Wifi support). You should seek
+legal advice (and possibly negotiate a different license with the vendor) if you
+need to use the affected firmware files:
+
+========================================================== ====================== ======== ================
+Source                                                     Device/driver          File(s)  License found in
+========================================================== ====================== ======== ================
+[git://github.com/murata-wireless/cyw-fmac-fw@ba140e42]    Murata Wi-Fi/Bluetooth cyfmac\* LICENCE, README
+[git://github.com/murata-wireless/cyw-fmac-nvram@8710e74e] Murata Wi-Fi/Bluetooth cyfmac\* LICENCE.cypress
+========================================================== ====================== ======== ================
+
+Some other firmware files (for NVIDIA hardware, that is not included in any of
+Oniro’s supported boards) have been expressly excluded from installation,
+because they come with a proprietary license with an unclear “open source
+exception”. See `issue #834`_ in Oniro main repo for further details.
+
+Some other firmware files are covered by a limited patent license. If you need
+to use them, you should check whether you fulfill the conditions of such
+license.
+
+================================= ========================= ============================= ======================
+Source                            Device/driver             File(s)                       License found in
+================================= ========================= ============================= ======================
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ WiLink4 chips WLAN driver ti-connectivity/wl1251-fw.bin LICENCE.wl1251, WHENCE
+================================= ========================= ============================= ======================
+
+Finally, some licenses have an unclear license wording about use and
+redistribution. If you need to use firmware covered by such files, you should
+check and possibly seek legal advice.
+
+================================= ===================================================== ================================ =======================
+Source                            Device/driver                                         File(s)                          License found in
+================================= ===================================================== ================================ =======================
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ WiLink4 chips WLAN driver                             ti-connectivity/wl1251-fw.bin    LICENCE.wl1251, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ Marvell Libertas 802.11b/g cards                      libertas/*.bin, mrvk/*.bin       LICENCE.Marvell, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ Marvell mac80211 driver for 80211ac cards             mwlwifi/*.bin                    LICENCE.Marvell, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ Marvell CPT driver                                    mrvl/cpt01/\*                    LICENCE.Marvell, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ Marvell driver for Prestera family ASIC devices       mrvl/prestera/*.img              LICENCE.Marvell, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ wave5 - Chips&Media, Inc. video codec driver          cnm/wave521c_j721s2_codec_fw.bin LICENCE.cnm, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ Broadcom 802.11n fullmac wireless LAN driver          brcm/brcmfmac/*, cypress/cyfmac* LICENCE.cypress, WHENCE
+`linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz`_ BCM-0bb4-0306 Cypress Bluetooth firmware for HTC Vive brcm/BCM-0bb4-0306.hcd           LICENCE.cypress, WHENCE
+================================= ===================================================== ================================ =======================
+
+Zephyr
+~~~~~~
+
+The third party repository ‘`zephyr-philosophers`_’ fetched by
+zephyr-philosophers recipe contains many sub-components for specific hardware
+support, coming from different hardware vendors. Some of them have specific
+proprietary license conditions (eg. software components to support Atmel SAM
+L21, Altera Nios II, Cypress/Infineon PSoC6) but are not used to generate Oniro
+images, so they are not covered here. Should you need to add support for such
+hardware boards, not officially supported by Oniro, you should carefully check
+hardware vendor license conditions.
+
+Warnings for Downstream Users: Patents
+--------------------------------------
+
+“Dropbear” component documentation contains a patent and trademark notice:
+
+   The author (Tom St Denis) is not a patent lawyer so this section is not to be
+   treated as legal advice. To the best of the author’s knowledge the only
+   patent related issues within the library are the RC5 and RC6 symmetric block
+   ciphers. They can be removed from a build by simply commenting out the two
+   appropriate lines in :raw-latex:`\textit{tomcrypt\_custom.h}`. The rest of
+   the ciphers and hashes are patent free or under patents that have since
+   expired.
+
+   The RC2 and RC4 symmetric ciphers are not under patents but are under
+   trademark regulations. This means you can use the ciphers you just can’t
+   advertise that you are doing so.
+
+To our best knowledge, also patents on RC5 and RC6 symmetric block ciphers have
+expired, but you should seek legal advice to check whether there still are
+active patents covering such technologies.
+
+.. [1]
+   Carlo Piana and Alberto Pianon from Array (Legal); Rahul Mohan G. and
+   Vaishali Avhad from NOI Techpark (Audit)
+
+.. _toolchain: https://projects.eclipse.org/projects/oniro.oniro-compliancetoolchain
+.. _process: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/toolchain/docs/-/tree/main/audit_workflow
+.. _Fossology: https://www.fossology.org
+.. _Scancode: https://nexb.com/scancode
+.. _official documentation: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/toolchain/docs
+.. _tinfoilhat: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/toolchain/tinfoilhat
+.. _aliens4friends: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/toolchain/aliens4friends
+.. _dashboard: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/toolchain/dashboard
+.. _pipelines: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/toolchain/pipelines
+.. _EULA: https://git.yoctoproject.org/meta-freescale/tree/EULA
+.. _linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz: https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/firmware/linux-firmware-20220913.tar.xz
+.. _issue #834: https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-core/oniro/-/issues/834
+.. _zephyr-philosophers: https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr
+.. _dedicated dashboard: https://sca.software.bz.it/?json=https://gitlab.eclipse.org/eclipse/oniro-compliancetoolchain/mirrors/oniro-goofy/-/jobs/artifacts/kirkstone/raw/report.harvest.json?job=harvest