RMS: The GNU GPL Is Here to Stay (O'ReillyNet)

Posted Sep 27, 2005 6:54 UTC (Tue) by jamesh (subscriber, #1159) [Link]

Section 2 (c), which deals on creating and distributing modifications to GPL covered software:

c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively
when run, you must cause it, when started running for such
interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an
announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a
notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide
a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under
these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this
License.  (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but
does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on
the Program is not required to print an announcement.)

So this clause has the following implications:

• If you modify an interactive GPL'd program that prints a copyright message such that the derivative work is also interactive, then the derivative must also print a copyright message.
• If you modify an interactive GPL'd program that does not print a copyright message, you are not required to print a copyright message in the derivative.
• If your derivative is not interactive, then it doesn't need to print the copyright message on startup.
• If you modify a non-interactive GPL'd program such that the derivative is interactive, you need to print a copyright notice on startup.

Posted Sep 27, 2005 10:16 UTC (Tue) by job (subscriber, #670) [Link]