> I also have another concern from a legal standpoint I'd rather not review the ioctl part of this. I'd probably request other DRI developers abstain as well.
> This is a Windows kernel API being smashed into a Linux driver. I don't want to be tainted by knowledge of an API that I've no idea of the legal status of derived works. (it this all covered patent wise under OIN?)
> I don't want to ever be accused of designing a Linux kernel API with illgotten D3DKMT knowledge, I feel tainting myself with knowledge of a proprietary API might cause derived work issues.
This is the real scary part about software patents, and more specifically, patenting APIs. I'm not saying Microsoft is doing this in this case, but it could be a very real strategy by a bad actor. Attempt to taint open source software with your patented software and then litigate.
In a dystopian future where patented software API lawsuits have become a common occurrence, I could imagine "clean room people". Individuals who can be guaranteed to not have been exposed to certain software designs.