Re: FWD: Bug#121916: analog should be in non-free
On Thu, 6 Dec 2001, Branden Robinson wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 06, 2001 at 01:49:03PM +0000, Stephen Turner wrote:
> >
> > But I am getting a bit confused here. Take the zlib licence, for example,
> > which contains the condition:
> > 3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.
> > The FSF says that this is compatible with the GPL, but I don't understand
> > how this can be so. It imposes an extra restriction, namely the requirement
> > to reproduce the zlib copyright and licence notice, in addition to the terms
> > of the GPL. Can someone explain to me how this can be GPL-compatible?
>
> [from clause 2 of the GPL]
> These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If
> identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program,
> and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in
> themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those
> sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you
> distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based
> on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of
> this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the
> entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote
> it.
>
> Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest
> your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to
> exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or
> collective works based on the Program.
>
> The above language leads me to believe that the intent of the GPL is NOT to
> say that telling people they cannot remove the text of a copyright
> notice, or a license text that applies to a work, is not allowed.
>
IANAL, but I disagree with your interpretation of this passage. It refers
explicitly to "separate works". If the analog code contains chunks of zlib
code within it, then the opposite case, "part of a whole" should apply.
--
Stephen Turner, Cambridge, UK http://homepage.ntlworld.com/adelie/stephen/
"This is Henman's 8th Wimbledon, and he's only lost 7 matches." BBC, 2/Jul/01
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