Status: maintainer decision support
The proposed project license is EUPL-1.2.
This is not legal advice. For a final licensing position, especially around kernel modules, drivers, firmware, SaaS/network use, or vendor driver packages, ask a qualified lawyer.
EUPL-1.2 is a reciprocal open-source license created by the European Commission. It is a reasonable fit for a security-sensitive European OS project that wants source-code sharing for modifications while keeping compatibility with several other reciprocal licenses.
Aesynx is explicitly designed so drivers can be separate driver packages or services that talk to the kernel through a stable capability/device ABI.
That architecture helps create a clean boundary:
- The kernel can be EUPL-1.2.
- Independently written drivers can be distributed separately.
- Driver services can receive MMIO, IRQ, DMA, object, and service capabilities without modifying kernel source.
- Vendor driver packages can use a stable service ABI instead of linking into unrestricted kernel internals.
Whether a specific driver is a derivative work of the kernel is a legal question, not only a technical one. The cleaner and more stable the ABI/service boundary is, the stronger the engineering argument that a driver can be independent, but the license analysis still depends on distribution, linking, headers/ABI definitions, generated bindings, and jurisdiction.
Use EUPL-1.2 for the Aesynx kernel and core source if the maintainer wants a European reciprocal license.
Keep driver-facing ABI files intentionally small, stable, documented, and separable. Add an explicit driver-package licensing policy later before inviting third-party vendors or closed driver services.