On Wed, Mar 12, 2003 at 04:34:11PM -0800, Thomas Bushnell, BSG wrote: > Steve Langasek <vorlon@netexpress.net> writes: > > > The main point to consider here is the intent of the person providing > > the GPL client. Remember that the GPL says it is ALWAYS ok to create > > non-free derivatives of GPL works, if you don't distribute them at all. > > This means that, even if you regard a remote website as an RPC call, > > when the *user* combines the browser and server by typing in a URL or > > following a link, no GPL violation can have occurred. > Right, so here's what I'll do. I'll create a non-free derivative of > GNU Foo, which adds a splendid text-manipulation function that many > people want. And I'll write a CGI so that people can type in text and > my web site will run the modified GNU Foo. I'll charge people money > for this service, and never release my changes. The original GNU Foo > did make its source available over the web interface, but my > modification does not. > David Turner thinks this should be prohibited, and therefore the GPL > should be changed to prohibit it. You have said that as long as no > distribution happens, it's fine. Which is it? Hmm, I think we've moved back from the RPC question to the ASP question again. :) *I* think it's fine if this sort of application is allowed by the GPL; one certainly can't argue that a license that permits this is somehow non-free. I'm also inclined to side with you on the question of whether a license that imposes this restriction is DFSG-free. Why should a different principle be applied to a GPL application with a web interface made available to third parties for a fee than to, say, a GPL application with a *human* interface made available for a fee? If we try to close the ASP loophole, what are the implications for the case where someone asks me to run a grep command for them -- do I then have an obligation to provide them the source to GNU grep? If not, why should a web-based ASP be treated differently? -- Steve Langasek postmodern programmer
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