On Sat, 18 Mar 2006, Eduard Bloch wrote: > Summary: a while ago, Joerg Schilling (upstream) replaced the > copyright headers in the files of his build system inside of the > cdrtools package with references to a CDDL license context. Can we just fork from a version of the build system which did not contain the CDDL and make whatever changes to it are necessary for it to build? > In #350739, the reporter claims that we and JS are violating the GPL > because not all files required to create the executable work are > available under the GPL license. It's not that they have to be available, it's just that they have to be compatible. [Moreover, JS violation of the GPL isn't interesting because he's presumably the copyright holder, and can therefore do whatever he wants with his work.] > CDDL is considered GPL-incompatible for linking with GPLed code. Not just linking; it's the creation of a derivative work of a GPLed work. Frankly, I don't see how you can argue that cdrecord is not a derivative work of the GPLed part of cdrecord and the build system. > Discussion with upstream in hope to make it double-licensed was not > very fruitfull. He defines his tarball as "medium" (in terms of our > DFSG!) where the two parts of the software (code and build system) > are allowed to coexist, and if we would not allow that, then we had > prooved that GPL violates the DFSG (because it infects other > software on the same "medium", hahaha). It would then activate the GPL's mere aggregation clause, but that's clearly not the case here. > Now the question: how GPL-compatible should we consider this > CDDL-like license? See http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html > for details. The FSF's summary on this issue is fairly authoritative. Indeed, the patent reciprocity clause may also render software under this license non-free. > We have the option of splitting the source package into code (GPLed) > and meta-code (CDDL). Would that be suitable for main? I don't see how this would get around the GPL incompatibility issues, as the build system is only useful for cdrecord. Don Armstrong -- When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bicycle. Then I realised that the Lord doesn't work that way so I stole one and asked Him to forgive me. -- Emo Philips. http://www.donarmstrong.com http://rzlab.ucr.edu
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