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WordPress, themes, and derivative works

Posted Jul 30, 2010 0:03 UTC (Fri) by sfeam (subscriber, #2841)
In reply to: WordPress, themes, and derivative works by tzafrir
Parent article: WordPress, themes, and derivative works

So a library can't have any licencing restrictions as to what the code that uses it will do?

Neither the GPL nor the LGPL attempts to restrict what a calling program is used for.

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Posted Jul 30, 2010 0:14 UTC (Fri) by tzafrir (subscriber, #11501) [Link]

There are all of those pesky libraries that will not allow me to use programs based on them for commercial usage (unless I get a different license, for which I pay separately). One that comes to mind off the top of my head is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_Performance_Primi... .

But hey, it's impossible for a library to impose usage restrictions, right?

WordPress, themes, and derivative works

Posted Jul 30, 2010 0:26 UTC (Fri) by sfeam (subscriber, #2841) [Link]

You are confusing two things. It is certainly possible for a library to be licensed in such a way that its use is restricted. But this does not depend on the notion of a derived work. Use of the library itself is restricted, independent of what the calling code is used for.

But the GPL explicitly does not do this. Clause 0 says:
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, [...]