Re: [gentoo-dev] cdrtools license issues

[Paul de Vrieze <pauldv@gentoo.org>]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1577 bytes --]

On Friday 01 September 2006 15:08, Diego 'Flameeyes' Pettenò wrote:
> I'm the first to not like Schilling's ways, but...
>
> On Friday 01 September 2006 14:44, Carsten Lohrke wrote:
> > building GPL software with CDDL licensed
> > makefiles
>
> Can't see how this is pertinent, I can build BSD licensed software with
> autoconf that is GPL, and use GCC to compile..

The build scripts are part of the source code. And as such must be licensed 
under the GPL. A system to create make files (such as autoconf) is not as 
such part of the work. Completely automatically generated makefiles do not 
qualify either as they do not fall under copyright law (they are not original 
works). It seems however that the makefiles included in the cdrtools package 
should fall under the GPL. 

This however does not mean necesarilly that Joerg Schilling violates the GPL 
as one cannot violate ones own copyright. If there is code that is not his 
however, he would violate the GPL.
>
> > as well as linking mkisofs to libscg, which he relicensed to CDDL
> > lately.
>
> This is a bit more debatable, he *can* link it, if he can change mkisofs
> license to allow linking to non-GPL-compatible code.
> Of that, I'm not sure tho.

The GPL sucks in linking respect. Given the GPL however linking GPL-ed 
software to non-system libraries that are not GPL licensed (Not even LGPL) is 
a violation of the GPL. The GPL is very vague on the subject though.

Paul

-- 
Paul de Vrieze
Gentoo Developer
Mail: pauldv@gentoo.org
Homepage: http://www.devrieze.net

[-- Attachment #2: Type: application/pgp-signature, Size: 198 bytes --]