PanoTools:
Re: copyright violation?
Mathieu Villegas 2004-Sep-10 01:16:20
I don't really know what is the limit.
But the GPL has this line:
"Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not
covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).
Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.
And a text in the fak say that:
"Can I use the GPL for a plug-in for a non-free program?
If the program uses fork and exec to invoke plug-ins, then the
plug-ins are separate programs, so the license for the main program
makes no requirements for them. So you can use the GPL for a plug-in,
and there are no special requirements.
If the program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function
calls to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a
single program, so plug-ins must be treated as extensions to the main
program. This means that linking the GPL-covered plug-in with the main
program would violate the GPL. However, you can resolve that legal
problem by adding an exception to your program's license which gives
permission to link it with the non-free main program."
So, for example the Photoshop plugin from Helmut Dersch can be under
GPL, but must introduce an exception to be used with photoshop, as
explained on the FSF web site.
So it's possible that all the softwares you are talking about, are not
covered by the GPL if they use an executable software. I was probably
too extremist in my first explanation. :)
But, I think that when you use a GPL library (like pano12.dll or
something like that) in a software you must distribute your software
under GPL , because it's a derived work. It's why the Free Software
Foundation has created the LGPL licence (The GNU Lesser General Public
License which was named The GNU Library General Public Licence at the
beginning) which allow to create OpenSource Libraries which can be used
in a non opensource software (closed source)
Here is a text from the FSF FAQ about it: "If a library is released
under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean that any program which uses
it has to be under the GPL? Yes, because the program as it is actually
run includes the library."
Mathieu
Thomas Niemann wrote:
>In other words, Max Lyons (PTAssembler), Joost Nieuwenhuijse (PTGui), Kekus
>(PTMac), and me (PTLens), are all violating the law?
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Mathieu Villegas" <#removed#>
>
>
>
>>If you use a GPL software from a private software, and you share datas
>>between this two software (ex: you use a DLL under GPL or a software you
>>launch and manage with a fork and exec and send datas with pipelines),
>>you have to redistribute your software under GPL.
>>
>>
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