Re: Combining proprietary code and GPL for in-house use
Anthony Towns <aj@azure.humbug.org.au> writes:
> What if Debian, White Knight of Free Software, distributes A (a GPLed
> library) and obeys the GPL completely, and doesn't distribute anything
> non-GPLed which links to it at all; but FooCorp, Evil Geniuses that they
> are, makes an apt source and distributes B .debs which can happily link
> to A as distributed by Debian [0].
Then we look at the intentions of the White Knight. Is it incidental
that their code is being used that way? Or are they in cahoots with
FooCorp? Is their product only useful in combination with the product
from FooCorp, or is it independently valuable? [this question is
important because it bears on intention.]
> What you're saying seems to be that adding "A" to the Depends: list of
> a GPL-incompatible package is a copyright violation, in and of itself,
> whether any GPLed code has ever been involved at all.
No, no, a thousand times no. I'm saying that to evaluate the case you
have to look at the details of the entire situation, including the
intentions of all the relevant parties.
Thomas
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