GPL enforcement: waiting for the Monsoon [LWN.net]

GPL enforcement: waiting for the Monsoon

Posted Sep 29, 2007 22:06 UTC (Sat) by giraffedata (subscriber, #1954)
In reply to: GPL enforcement: waiting for the Monsoon by rickmoen
Parent article: GPL enforcement: waiting for the Monsoon

I forgot about the derivative works angle on linking. I was thinking of more basic issue: you combine some closed source and GPL code; is it a "mere aggregation" or a "work based on the work" in GPL terms? There are various ways to combine, some of them typically called linking.

That is an eminantly litigatable question, and one I can definitely see arising, even among expert copyright lawyers.

This would have been a wonderful objection, had I claimed there being "nothing disputable" in any potential future litigation citing the GNU General Public License.
...
Chicken-Little-ism over there being any reasonable prospect for substantive legal questions is a waste of your time and ours: There simply isn't.

"There simply isn't any reasonable prospect for substantive legal questions" sounds identical to "there is nothing disputable" to me, especially in this context (debating whether GPL is likely to end up in court).

Regardless of the wording, I think you're saying you reach that conclusion because the GPL "is quite clear in its general outline and effect." Even if it is, that doesn't stop similarly clear documents from being litigated all the time. The details matter to people. I don't see what about the GPL makes it immune from substantive legal questions.

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