Re: License of input-event-codes.h

On Wed, 21 Sep 2022, at 13:14, tamamo meta wrote:
> Hello All
>
> I want to use input-event-codes.h for my project.
> https://cgit.freebsd.org/src/tree/sys/dev/evdev/input-event-codes.h
>
> However, I found a file with same name that differs only copyright and
> license notation in Linux kernel.
> https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/include/uapi/linux/input-event-codes.h
>
> How should I interpret the difference between the two licenses when
> using it for my project?
> Also, which one is the original?
>
> Best Regards

Hi Tamamo,

If it really matters, get a lawyer for your jurisdiction to answer.

Oracle vs Google (in the USA) covered this specifically:

"So long as the specific code used to implement a method is different, anyone is free under the Copyright Act to write his or her own code to carry out exactly the same function or specification of any methods used in the Java API. It does not matter that the declaration or method header lines are identical." 

https://thepalaw.com/copyright/can-apis-be-protected-under-copyright-law/ has a nice writeup.

NB Both files carry appropriate licences, and are not *quite* identical.
As a lazy dev and not a lawyer, I would go with the last interpretation.

A+
Dave