Re: xcdroast does no longer work with wodim: Who to blame?
On Tue, 3 Mar 2009, Joerg Schilling wrote:
Bill Unruh <unruh@physics.ubc.ca> wrote:
I believe that you mean the above to apply to mkisofs, not to cdrtools, which
is a bunch of different program. The programs which are purely CDDL I assume
you have no problem with distributing (despite your discomfort with CDDL).
Since it appears that mkisofs is the
only GPL licensed program within cdrtools, the linking of mkisofs with libscg is what you find
problematic.
As the FSF is interested to see GPLd programs on OpenSolaris (*), the FSF did
confirm that there is no problem with linking a GPLd program like e.g. GNU tar
with the CDDLd libraries fron OpenSolaris and to publish the resulting binaries.
*) and as a different interpretation of the GPL would make the GPL be in
violation with the Copyright law....
There is absolutely no problem with distributing mkisofs binaries that are
linked against CDDLd libs that are a "different work".
Well, no, there is a problem. Whether that problem is due to a misreading of
the law, differing laws (Under US, the concept of derivative work is a very
important and strong concept. Publishers have been successfully sued for using less than
.3% of another work in their work. It is a vague and broad concept, and at
present in a situation like this all we have are legal theories, since courts
have not ruled. Note that part of the SCO suit against IBM is precisely based
on this concept of derivative work, and a broad interpretation thereof. Maybe
that case will clarify the situation, but I doubt it.
From your comments, it appears that German copyright law does not contain that
concept. Unfortunately all Linux distributions are world wide and have to
worry about the law in many jurisdictions, especially the USA.
Anyway, since the people in the Linux distributions clearly are worried about
the legal situation for whatever reason, and since the dual licensing of
libscg or the parts of libscg actually used by mkisofs would make them happy,
and since the benefit to users of having your software available on the
distributions would be great, I would ask you consider doing something like
that.
J�>
--
William G. Unruh | Canadian Institute for| Tel: +1(604)822-3273
Physics&Astronomy | Advanced Research | Fax: +1(604)822-5324
UBC, Vancouver,BC | Program in Cosmology | unruh@physics.ubc.ca
Canada V6T 1Z1 | and Gravity | www.theory.physics.ubc.ca/
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