Re: Are GPLed .gifs legal at all ???
On Thu, 13 Jul 2000, Tomasz Wegrzanowski wrote:
> I will quote GPL again.
Qutoing more exact would be more usefull.
> To prevent this, we have made it clear that any
> patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.
This is the preamble. Where do you find it in the "precise terms"?
So I will quote:
GPL says:
"The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for
making modifications to it. "
So the source of an non-vactor Image can only be the Image as Pixmap.
(Or show me a method to modify the image in an gif without the way over
such an format.
So there either the gif is the work itself, than you can edit
it in an hexeditor, and modification is possible.
Or the image is the source and the gif the translated form. Then you can
edit the source, and modification is possible.
Now, the patent part:
Part 7 says:
" 7. If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent
infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues),
conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or
otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not
excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot
distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this
License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you
may not distribute the Program at all. For example, if a patent
license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by
all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then
the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to
refrain entirely from distribution of the Program. [...]"
I cannot see, how gifs could fall under this. You are allowed to use and
distrubute the file. You are allowed to edit it in a hex-editor. And you
are allowed to modify it. To modify it, you need a computer and a programm
capable to edit .gifs. If you want the exact same format of gif -- note
that gpl nowhere notes something about the binary format -- you will have
to pay for an program in some countries. This is not nice, but it doesn't
violate GPL.
Image I had a computer with an error in the cpu, that it cracks down, when
I try to compile something. Then you are not allowed to distrubute GPLed
code to me, because I'm not able to modify source and compile it?
Hochachtungsvoll,
Bernhard R. Link
Reply to: