Re: Do I have to release the patch for a GPL software under GPL?

[Alexander Terekhov]

David Kastrup wrote:
> 
> Alexander Terekhov <terekhov@web.de> writes:
> 
> > David Kastrup wrote:
> >>
> >> Alexander Terekhov <terekhov@web.de> writes:
> >>
> >> > I don't care what you say. Thanks to Wallace, the GPL drafter is on
> >> > record: <quote> In fact, the GPL itself rejects any automatic
> >> > aggregation of software copyrights under the GPL simply because one
> >> > program licensed under the GPL is distributed together with another
> >> > program
> >>
> >> "together with" does not describe the relationship of Siamese twins.
> >
> > And what's the relevance of that remark? Under Berne Convention
> > software is protected as literary works. The mechanism of linking
> > is irrelevant.
> 
> Except that it isn't because you don't link unrelated pieces of
> software (well, you can, but that is just aggregating them in one
> library).  They have to interface.

So what? By that standard, a "GPL incompatible" (whatever that means) 
email program would violate the copyright law if it downloaded or 
send mail from/to a GPL'd mail server. That may well be true in the 
GNU Republic, but only in the GNU Republic.

regards,
alexander.