On Fri, 2002-06-14 at 00:51, Branden Robinson wrote: Thank you for making me read GPL section 2, paragraph 2. > If and while this work is incorporated into a different work > which is licensed under the GNU GPL, version 2, as published by > the Free Software Foundation, the reproduction of the > endorsement section immediately after this work's copyright > notice is optional instead of mandatory. First Scenario --------------- Let's assume for a moment that John Doe creates a document, and licenses it under the DFCL. Now, some unrelated party, Dan Smith, incorporates it into a larger document. According to the above, the notice is now optional. Various relatively minor (but still a page or two; enough to claim copyright on) changes are made; all as part of a work under the GPL. Then, yet another unrelated party, decides chapter 5 is great and distrubutes it alone. Chapter 5 is essentially John Doe's work, but with the GPL page or two written by Dan Smith. The work is now effectively under the GPL. So, add a page, and it becomes (effective) GPL. Second Scnario, Part I ---------------------- I receive a tarball which contains a a nice COPYING file with GPLv2 in it; and some documentation with the DFCL on it. On the DFCL files, I see notice that John Q. Public modified them on so-and-so date (GPL 2(a)). I also see a GPL notice. Now, the question: Is this mess legal? Can I distribute it? The files have two copyright statements. From two different people. Under two difference licenses. I'm not sure if it is, it sounds pretty hairy. And it sounds like it'd be a common situation. Second Scenario, Part II ------------------------ Let's say Part I is legal. Now, at some point, the GPL sections and the DFCL sections are no longer distinct. The DFCL part can no longer "be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves." Up to now, we have been depending on that section 2, paragraph 2 to guard our use of a different license. We can't any more. And I'm not sure if we can wiggle out of the DFCL and just call it GPL. If we can't, then we run into problems with 2(b), 6 and 7.
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