Re: Linux Magazin Germany, affecting Debian's image?!
On Mon, Jul 17, 2006 at 12:13:54PM +1000, Andrew Donnellan wrote:
> The GPL only states that there has to be a written offer for at least 3yrs
> to send the *source code* by post for cost price, to anyone *who you
> distribute it to.* This means the magazine only has to send the source
> code to *people who buy it.*
You were perfectly right until that last sentence. If I buy a copy of the
magazine, with the DVD, and it contains a written offer to provide source
code for the GPL material on the DVD (thus satisfying section 3 via 3b) I
can redistribute that DVD non-commercially to other parties, giving them the
written offer provided by the magazine (thus satisfying section 3 via 3c).
The magazine is allowed to charge at-cost for the source distribution, so as
not to leave themselves out of pocket.
So a person doesn't have to have actually purchased a copy of the magazine
in order to be entitled to the source code. In fact, I can't see anything
that says that a person requesting the source has to have a copy of the DVD
at all.
This is, of course, why satisfying section 3 via 3a -- Accompany with
complete source -- is the clever way to go. If we're talking about a
stripped-down Sarge on a DVD, I'd guess there'd probably be enough space
left over to put the source on the DVD as well, so this whole e-mail might
be unnecessary. <grin>
- Matt
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