Re: GPL preamble removal

[bts@alum.mit.edu (Brian T. Sniffen)]

Nathanael Nerode <neroden@twcny.rr.com> writes:

> Brian T. Sniffen wrote: 
>
>>OK.  I have a copy of Emacs here, licensed to me under the GNU GPL2.
>>I have made some modifications to it, and updated the changelogs and
>>history notes.  I wish to give it to a friend.  Section 2b requires
>>that I distribute my new program, Sniffmacs, "under the terms of this
>>License," GPL2.  Can I give my friend Sniffmacs, together with the
>>"Terms and Conditions" section of the GPL, retitled as "Sniffen GPL"?
>>
>>As far as I can tell, this meets the requirements for creating a new
>>license based on the GPL, and meets the requirements for distributing
>>GPL'd software.
>
> Keith Dunwoody wrote:
>>I believe the answer is no. The appropriate part of the GPL is section 2b.
>
> Keith is wrong; the appropriate part is actually section 1.
> "...and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License
> along with the Program."
>
> In this context, "this License" means the unmodified text of the GNU GPL, 
> presumably including the preamble; there really isn't any other 
> interpretation.  So you can distrbitute Sniffmacs under the Sniffen GPL, but 
> you have to distribute a copy of the original GNU GPL with it, kind of 
> defeating the purpose...

Thanks for the response -- I hadn't noticed that phrasing before.
But if I give *you* a copy of Sniffmacs under the Sniffen GPL,
wouldn't you then be bound only to give others the SGPL, not the GGPL
with its Preamble?

-Brian