Re: Plugins, libraries, licenses and Debian

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

mru@kth.se (Måns Rullgård) writes:

> Steve Langasek <vorlon@netexpress.net> writes:
>
>>> > This now gets into the hazy realm where it's best not to go - a court
>>> > could decide either way.
>>
>>> > The argument is, approximately, that by shipping the whole lot
>>> > together you are creating a derived work that violates at least once
>>> > of the licenses. Certainly you can concoct a case where this is
>>> > plausible (wrap them all up in one .deb with a default configuration
>>> > that uses both) - and it is not at all clear where to draw the
>>> > line. There are legitimate arguments in both directions (the
>>> > counter-argument is approximately "It's not derivation, it's
>>> > collation").
>>
>>> I have a CD that contains lots of GPL stuff, as well as OpenSSL (it's
>>> a Slackware CD).  I downloaded it as an iso file from some ftp
>>> server.  Apparently, an iso9660 format filesystem containing tar files
>>> of GPL and GPL incompatible software is allowed.  Where is the
>>> fundamental difference if the format of the wrapper is changed from
>>> iso9660 to tar, and the internal files are shared objects instead of
>>> tar files?
>>
>> The intent of the distributor in how the individual program bits should
>> be used together, and the feasibility of using them separately.  (I.e.:
>> there is *no* fundamental difference between iso9660 and tar for these
>> purposes.)
>
> So what prevents two independent plugins, each usable on it's own,
> from being distributed together?  That the user could possibly load
> both at the same time, creating a "derived work"?  This derived work
> would only exist in the computers memory during the execution of the
> program, and would almost certainly not be distributed.

Well, first off, creation of derived works -- even if you never
distribute them -- is restricted by copyright as well.

Second, the intent of the preparer: if I hand you a disk with OpenSSL
and GNU Readline on it, as a distribution of excellent Free Software
libraries, that's fine.  If I hand you those intending them to be used
with some other program, that's not fine.  It isn't a technical
restriction, it's a legal restriction on the social behavior of
persons.

-Brian