Re: New CUPS license violates DFSG 6?

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es>]

>      Software that is developed by any person or entity for an Apple
>      Operating System ("Apple OS-Developed Software"), including but not
>      limited to Apple and third party printer drivers, filters, and
>      backends for an Apple Operating System, that is linked to the CUPS
>      imaging library or based on any sample filters or backends provided
>      with CUPS shall not be considered to be a derivative work or
>      collective work based on the CUPS program and is exempt from the
>      mandatory source code release clauses of the GNU GPL.

I agree that a license may exempt certain parties from some requirements,
but not to the point of saying something which clearly is a derivative
work is not (so I would say the wording should be improved here).

In either case, GPL says:

  7. If, [] conditions are imposed on you [] that contradict the
conditions of this License, they do not excuse you from the conditions
of this License.  If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy
simultaneously your obligations under this License and any other
pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute
the Program at all. [...]

This means if we mix CUPS code under the new GPL+exception license and
ordinary GPL code, the result may only be distributed under the
unmodified GPL or not distributed at all, which means you can't send
CUPS maintainers a GPLed patch anymore...


-- 
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-legal-request@lists.debian.org
with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmaster@lists.debian.org