USB_VERBOSE and vendor-/productnames

[perryh at pluto.rain.com]

Marcin Cieslak <saper at saper.info> wrote:

> Dnia 14.09.2010 Alexander Best <arundel at freebsd.org> napisa??/a:
> >> > http://www.mail-archive.com/freebsd-current@freebsd.org/msg124948.html).
> >> 
> >> If we don't have to GPL the resulting .h and .c files.
> >
> > "The contents of the database and the generated files can be
> > distributed under the terms of either the GNU General Public
> > License (version 2 or later) or of the 3-clause BSD License."
>
> Which constitutes probably a legal bullshit, since work created
> by a computer (not a human author) cannot by copyrighted.

Maybe, but I wouldn't bet much on it without consulting a copyright
attorney (or several, since laws vary among nations).

It seems to me that the database itself was likely compiled by
humans and -- based on what little I know of (US) copyright law --
could be subject to a compilation copyright.  The generated files
could be considered derivative works.

And just in case it is not obvious, IANAL.