linux-kernel - Re: GPL vs non-GPL device drivers

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Message-Id: <200702201514.l1KFEVIE023344@turing-police.cc.vt.edu>
Date:	Tue, 20 Feb 2007 10:14:31 -0500
From:	Valdis.Kletnieks@...edu
To:	Bernd Petrovitsch <bernd@...mix.at>
Cc:	v j <vj.linux@...il.com>, davids@...master.com,
	trent.waddington@...il.com,
	"Michael K. Edwards" <medwards.linux@...il.com>,
	"Linux-Kernel@...r. Kernel. Org" <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Neil Brown <neilb@...e.de>
Subject: Re: GPL vs non-GPL device drivers

On Tue, 20 Feb 2007 12:00:51 +0100, Bernd Petrovitsch said:
> Flame bait alert:
> I heard a talk from an Austrian lawyer an according to his believes (and
> I don't know if he is the only one or if there lots of) one must see
> from the "users" view if the GPL spreads over or not (and the usual
> technical terms like "linking" are basically irrelevant).
> E.g.:
> - You are distributing an application which links against a GPL-library.
> If you provide a link and the user/customer has to get and install that
> library, your application can have any license you wish.
> - If you distribute an application and it installs automatically a
> library (e.g. from the CD where your application is installed), your
> applications license must "fit" wit the library license.

So tell me - if RedHat distributes a non-GPL program that uses a GPL
library that is included as part of the distribution, but *not* one that's
usually installed, which rules apply?

Even better - does this mean that I can *intentionally* bypass the licensing by
including a installer script that removed a problematic library, and then
forces the user to re-install it?



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