Canonical said through the voice of Dustin Kirkland that you can use Ubuntu with Docker without violating any copyright policy, contradicting what Matthew Garrett said in a blog post just a week ago.

Canonical recently changed its IP policy to comply fully with GPL3, putting an end to some discussion that has been going on for years in the Ubuntu community. The new provisions ensure that the license for a package in Ubuntu doesn't supersede the license of the original project. This is a big step forward, but Matthew Garrett raised another issue regarding the use of Ubuntu in Docker containers and the redistribution of binaries.

Matthew Garrett said that if you distributed an Ubuntu container image that had been modified, you would need to ask Canonical for permission to do so. The alternative is to rebuild all the packages, remove all mentions of Ubuntu, and recompile everything. As our readers have pointed out, this is an issue related to trademarks and not copyright, but it could still be an issue. This is why Dustin felt the need to intervene, in a more official capacity.

Redistributed Ubuntu Docker images are OK, most of the time

Dustin Kirkland is a member of the Ubuntu Product and Strategy at Canonical, and he prefaced his comments by saying that he talks in the name of the company, at least on this issue.

"I am speaking for my employer, Canonical, when I say you are not violating our policies if you use Ubuntu with Docker in sensible, secure ways. Some have claimed otherwise, but that’s simply sensationalist and untrue. Canonical publishes Ubuntu images for Docker specifically so that they will be useful to people. You are encouraged to use them! We see no conflict between our policies and the common sense use of Docker," wrote Dustin on his blog.

Some of the users with a keen eye will notice a couple of rather vague terms, like "sensible, secure ways" and "common sense." What he's saying is that Canonical is distinguishing between personal use and third-party redistribution. The end goal for Canonical is to protect the name of Ubuntu and its reputation.

If, for example, an entity distributes a modified version of Ubuntu, which creates problems for people or companies, Canonical will be the first one to blame, even if they didn't make the changes that caused the issues. This is why users and third-party distributors are encouraged to talk to Canonical about Ubuntu redistribution so that the company knows what you are doing with it.

Dustin also provides an apt comparison that necessitates the use of booze. Enjoy!