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Re: LGPL module linked with a GPL lib



On 7/28/05, Humberto Massa Guimarães <humberto.massa@almg.gov.br> wrote:
> The only good answer people in d-l gave me to the question: 
> "why is the assumption that such linking is a violation of the 
> GPL valid?" is "because Eben Moglen said so in the GPL
>  FAQ, and he is a law teacher, so it must be true".

If you think that, you haven't been paying attention.

The issue is: is a dynamically linked program a creative
work?

And, factually, you can't make a dynamically linked 
program without first designing it so that it works (and,
in the typical case, spending a fair amount of time
polishing it -- debugging, cleaning up the interfaces,
etc.)

Since this is a factual issue, its resolution is going
to require consideration of the facts of the case,
and could also require expert testimony about how
the particular program in question is normally 
handled.

In other words, you can't generalize from how
game cartridges and laser printer cartridges
are handled to some blanket rule which covers
all cases of dynamic linking. (For instance.)

-- 
Raul



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