License incompatibility [LWN.net]

License incompatibility

Posted Jul 3, 2008 18:42 UTC (Thu) by corbet (editor, #1)
In reply to: More DTrace envy by bcantrill
Parent article: More DTrace envy

So you're saying that free software license incompatibility does not exist, at least as far as the US legal system goes?

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License incompatibility

Posted Jul 3, 2008 20:23 UTC (Thu) by bcantrill (guest, #31087) [Link]

In terms of the law, I think that the GPL is in a dimly lit area to begin with -- and the
issue of free software license incompatibility extinguishes whatever light remains.  So
strictly in terms of case law, no, it doesn't exist. Not that this is desirable, of course; I
think software desperately needs legal precedent on the linking issue in particular.  If (as I
personally believe) dynamic linking does not create a derived work, there is no real
"incompatibility" issue to speak of, and we can stop wasting our collective time huffing and
puffing about it.  Unfortunately, it is in nearly everyone's best interests (FSF, companies,
lawyers) for this issue to stay murky -- and I expect it to remain so for the foreseeable
future...