Re: GPL and command-line libraries

[Måns Rullgård <mru@inprovide.com>]

Glenn Maynard <glenn@zewt.org> writes:

> On Tue, Nov 02, 2004 at 11:00:54PM +0100, Josselin Mouette wrote:
>> Le mardi 02 novembre 2004 à 21:53 +0100, Wesley W. Terpstra a écrit :
>> > Mr. John Wontshare writes a streaming multicast client.
>> > To deal with packet loss, he uses my error-correcting library.
>> > Without my library, Mr. Wontshare's client can't work at all.
>> > Mr. Wontshare's client represents only a small investment of effort and
>> > without having had access to my library, he could have never written it.
>> > He then distributes his client along with my library to end-users.
>> 
>> If Mr Wontshare's client doesn't work without your software, this is
>> what I call a derivative work. Whether it is linked to it using ELF or
>> not is irrelevant.
>
> What you call a derivative work is irrelevant; the only one that matters
> is what copyright law calls a derivative work.  Copyright law defines
> derivative work, not licenses.

Actually, copyright law talks a great deal about derivative works,
without ever going to the trouble of defining them, which is what
causes so much confusion.

-- 
Måns Rullgård
mru@inprovide.com