[Typo3-dev] Non-GPL licence on a GPL extension

[JoH]

>>> Why would the user be exempt from the licence?!!
>>>
>>> Everyone including developers and the end users have to obey the
>>> licence rules which say no to linking with non-GPL compatible code.
>>>
>>> If the user could mix GPL and non-GPL code there would be no point
>>> in using the GPL at all.
>>>
>>
>> Hi Martin,
>>
>> the license is short enough and worth to read it all.
>>
>> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html
>> http://www.gnu.de/gpl-ger.html
>>
>> I find no word about restrictions in usage. IMHO everthing GPL
>> covers is distribution.
>
> No they cover copying, distribution and modification (2nd paragraph
> right after the preamble). So if you get yourself (as a user) a copy
> of TYPO3 and want it to modify it to work with 3rdp party code you
> have to obey the licence.

Still you got something wrong, since sentence you are referring to says:

2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it,
thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such
modifications or work under the terms of Section 1 above, provided that you
also meet all of these conditions:

Splitting this sentence by comma gives you the following

a) You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it,
thus forming a work based on the Program
b) You may copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of
Section 1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions:

Part a) is giving you the right to modify the program _without any
restrictions_!
Part b) is giving you the right to copy and distribute these modifications
as long as you stick to the terms of Section 1 _and_ the additional terms of
Section 2.

Together this means: As long as you don't distribute the code you can do
whatever you like with it.
Anything else would be against "free as in free speech and not as in free
beer".

You could be nitpicking and say that the part "under the terms of section1
above, provided that ... " could be referring to the first part of the
sentence too.
But at least in the German version of the GPL they stated it more clearly
and used two separate sentences instead of one misleading comma separated
construct.
Since I expect that the German version has been checked against the English
original I think that Dimitri and others (including myself) got the right
understanding of this section.

This means: You can distribute a copy of the VTS using a GPLed connector to
the non GPLed flash tool.
In the documentation you have to tell the user that he will need this tool
to run the extension with all the possible features.
It would be good though if the user would be able to use a version with less
features if he doesn't want to buy the flash tool.

Joey

-- 
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