On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:47:38 +0100 Tomáš Bžatek wrote: > Hi all, Hi! > > let me shed some light on source files structure: > > ./common/ -- GPLv2+, shared core across several modules, cannot be > relicensed (LGPLv2+ might be an option though). > ./unrar/unrar.c -- GPLv2+, may be relicensed if needed. It's a bridge > between two APIs. > ./unrar/unrar/ -- original unrar sources (there might be few > modifications, but I hope to solve them soon, so we can have unmodified > unrar sources there). > > All these sources are statically linked to a single shared object > (library), which is being loaded by the master application. > > Now the question is: is it allowed to statically link object files with > different licenses? If these licenses are incompatible with each other, as it is the case here, the result is a legally undistributable work, AFAICT. Since the unrar license is (non-free and) GPL-incompatible, it is my understanding that anyone who distributes the linked resulting library would violate the copyright of the authors of the GPLv2+'ed part. In order to allow such a linking, the copyright holders of the GPLv2+'ed part can add an exception (that is to say, an additional permission), as explained in http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs See also http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#FSWithNFLibs > Is it allowed to load such library into a GPLv2+ > application (technically speaking it's linking again, in runtime)? I think that this also requires an exception granted by the GPLv2+'ed application copyright holders, as above. [...] > That said, I haven't spoken to unrar author yet, wanted to know lawyers > opinion first. Most of us debian-legal regulars are *not* lawyers. I am *not* a lawyer myself. There *are* a few lawyers that sometimes contribute to debian-legal, but, of course, if you need real legal advice, I recommend that you hire an actual lawyer... I hope this clarifies. -- New location for my website! Update your bookmarks! http://www.inventati.org/frx ..................................................... Francesco Poli . GnuPG key fpr == C979 F34B 27CE 5CD8 DC12 31B5 78F4 279B DD6D FCF4
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