Re: Forking and relicensing issues (different)
Nils Lohner <lohner@typhoon.icd.teradyne.com> wrote:
> Can you take GPL'ed code and use it with a closed source program? i.e.
> take the GPL'ed program do_everything and someone wants to write a library
> for it that's do_one_more_thing but keep the library closed, is that OK? If
> they want to distribute and sell that, they distribute the source code to
> the GPL part (with modifications), and the binary (executable), right?
No.
> I would assume it is, but modifications etc. to the original GPL code
> must be made public. Am I missing something here, or is that about the
> extent of it? Or is that illegal under the GPL and the entire source
> code must be made public because its used with some GPL'ed code?
First off realize that the restrictions copyright law grants for binaries
is merely an extension of the restrictions it grants for sources. If the
binary were not taken as another copy of the source then copyright on the
source would be useless.
Second off, the GPL requires that if you distribute GPLed code with non-
GPLed code that the non-GPLed code be relicensable to anyone in source
code form.
[And there's other requirements, like anyone can modify it and
redistribute the changes under the same license. But I don't think that
was your question.]
--
Raul
Reply to: