Re: GPL compliance for commercial hardware product running Debian
kevin anthoney <kevin.anthoney@weldspares.co.uk> writes:
> We're looking at developing a commercial product, which will
> essentially be a PC running Debian with a browser on it configured to
> connect to our web app.
Thank you for choosing Debian to run on this product.
Note that this forum (‘debian-legal’) is a discussion forum for the
legal issues of distributing works in Debian; this is not a contact
point for official legal advice about any aspect of Debian.
In that light, then, I'll just answer your questions as an interested
community member.
> Would we need to provide source code for all the GPL software running
> on the PC?
You should, IMO, provide corresponding source to any recipient who asks.
Some license conditions require this (e.g. the GNU GPL), and IMO it is
simpler to just provide it for all the works you distribute.
This is what the Debian project does, and so it is normally what
redistributors of Debian should do.
> Assuming the answer is "yes", is there a sensible method of collating
> all the necessary source code?
Every package in Debian has full corresponding source available
<URL:https://www.debian.org/distrib/packages>. For any works you modify,
the corresponding source is of course in your possession, and you should
make that corresponding source available to any recipient who asks for
it.
--
\ “I fly Air Bizarre. You buy a combination one-way round-trip |
`\ ticket. Leave any Monday, and they bring you back the previous |
_o__) Friday. That way you still have the weekend.” —Steven Wright |
Ben Finney <bignose@debian.org>
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