GPL Violation

[Luke Schierer]

This whole discussion is more appropriate for  
discussion at imfreedom.org  than it is for a development mailing list.

Luke

On Oct 1, 2009, at 09:41 EDT, Ethan Blanton wrote:

> Jeff Sadowski spake unto us the following wisdom:
>>> Other possibly relevant sections/posts/articles:
>>> http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs
>>
>> Sweet perfect this answers my question exactly and could be a way for
>> them to re-release their plugin that would satisfy the gpl
>> by making it a lib. Like I said earlier its a structuring issue.
>
> No, that is NOT the case.  Pay attention.  Note that the specific
> article you post requires *exceptions to the GPL*, for one.
>
> A Pidgin plugin is intimately involved with Pidgin, and method calls
> are made in both directions with some frequency during the lifetime of
> the plugin usage.  Providing the Pidgin plugin interface for a complex
> plugin without simply using Pidgin (or libpurple) would require
> reimplementing a significant amount of software.  Therefore, a Pidgin
> plugin is derived from Pidgin, and must be license-compatible with
> Pidgin.  The GPL under which Pidgin/libpurple themselves are licensed
> does *not* have any exceptions for closed-source libraries, so linking
> with a GPL which does is incompatible.
>
> You cannot circumvent the GPL with a little bit of indirection anad
> some sleight-of-hand.  You might find the differences between the GPL
> and the LGPL instructive for understanding this sort of thing.
>
> Now, I'll say it one more time -- this list is not the place for
> license lawyering.  If MeBeam wants to come talk to us about how to
> resolve their license difficulties, that's fine, but random
> speculation about how to most effectively circumvent the GPL is *not*
> on-topic.
>
> Ethan
>
> -- 
> The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws [that have no  
> remedy
> for evils].  They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor
> determined to commit crimes.
> 		-- Cesare Beccaria, "On Crimes and Punishments", 1764
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