Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] License for libs linked in OOT

[Forest Crossman]

Jan,

If your OOT module uses GNU Radio data structures or function calls
(i.e., the API), then it can only be distributed under the GPL. This
is because the work is "based on" GNU Radio[1]. Since a work "based
on" a GPL'd work can only be distributed under the same license[2],
your OOT module would have to be licensed under the GPLv3+. It works
the same way in Wireshark, where any plugins developed for it can only
be distributed under the GPLv2+ or the GPLv3+.

Of course, you can release any code not based on GNU Radio (i.e.,
implementations of algorithms that could operate independently of GNU
Radio) under any license you want, so in essence you would be
dual-licensing a portion of the OOT module, but that could get legally
tricky very quickly.

To be clear, I'm not a lawyer, and I could be wrong, so don't take any
of this as legal advice. For that, I would consult the Software
Freedom Law Center[3]. If you want more non-lawyer advice, #fsf on
Freenode could probably give you some more pointers.

On a more cynical note, none of this license stuff really matters if
nobody sues you, so if you were to technically violate the GPL but do
it in a way that didn't make anyone too angry, you could probably get
away with it.

[1]: "To 'modify' a work means to copy from or adapt all or part of
the work in a fashion requiring copyright permission, other than the
making of an exact copy. The resulting work is called a 'modified
version' of the earlier work or a work 'based on' the earlier work."
[2]: "You may convey a work based on the Program, or the modifications
to produce it from the Program, in the form of source code under the
terms of section 4, provided that you also meet all of these
conditions: ... You must license the entire work, as a whole, under
this License to anyone who comes into possession of a copy."
[3]: https://softwarefreedom.org

On Fri, Jul 8, 2016 at 2:08 PM, Jan Krämer <address@hidden> wrote:
> Hey everyone,
>
> thanks for your answers guys, I think you clarified pretty much everything.
> Now all I can do is wait for an answer from management.
>
> Cheers,
> Jan
>
> 2016-07-07 19:02 GMT+02:00 Martin Braun <address@hidden>:
>>
>> Jan,
>>
>> also, don't forget, code you write is yours. You can even have multiple
>> licenses for the same code (at least for modules and parts that don't
>> use GNU Radio or other GPL'd libraries).
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Martin
>>
>> On 07/07/2016 06:18 AM, Jan Krämer wrote:
>> > Thanks Michael, now fingers crossed that I am allowed to publish the
>> > code under one of those licenses.
>> >
>> > Cheers,
>> > Jan
>> >
>> > 2016-07-07 12:18 GMT+02:00 Michael Dickens <address@hidden
>> > <mailto:address@hidden>>:
>> >
>> >     __
>> >     What Sylvain wrote is correct: if you publish your GR OOT module,
>> >     then you have to choose GPLv3 or a compatible FOSS license. I
>> >     believe that by default the license is GPLv3, since that's what GR
>> >     is. See also < http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html > for a
>> >     list of compatible (and incompatible) licenses. - MLD
>> >
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>> >
>> >
>> >
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-- 
Forest Crossman