Re: Proposed: Debian's Five Freedoms for Free Works

["Joe Moore" <joemoore@iegrec.org>]

Nicolas Kratz said:
> Hmmm... Wouldn't distributing the modified Free Work, even if it's only
> distributed to "B", require "A" to make available the modified Free
> Work to third parties? Then one could start from there, and utterly
> disregard "B"s obfuscated version.
>
> I'm pretty sure that is the case with the GPL, not sure about other
> licenses.

With the GPL, no, but keeping the sources secret takes a bit of care.

A gives the GPL binaries to B.  At the same time, A asks B "would you like
source with that?" (offering to hand B a CD with the source, but not making
a written offer that B could pass on)

Now, if B does not have the sources, B can not distribute the binaries under
the terms of the GPL.  In order to (re-)distribute the binaries, B would
have had to take the source CD, and make it available to distributees.

If this is the only way that A has distributed the binaries, then A has no
obligation to distribute the sources to anyone ever again, even if B
distributes the binaries all over the internet (and A can sue B if this
happens, for violating the GPL)

--Joe