Re: GPL licenced Java application using non GPL jars (libraries)

[Rui Miguel Silva Seabra]

Ter, 2006-05-23 às 00:52 +0100, Ben escreveu:
> Does this additional exception clause violate the GPL in any way? How 
> can it be compatible with the GPL if the clause states that they can 
> link some non-GPL jars, yet the GPL states all the linked in libraries 
> (distributed as a whole) must be GPL?

The GNU GPL does not say such a think.
  1) You can't change the license on the jars
  2) You can license the new work as a whole
  3) The exceptional clause is granting the user the additional right to
     link with certain libraries, so it's an added right instead of an
     added restriction.

> Its getting confusing... and I think some of this problem is down to my 
> misunderstanding but I think I'm almost there. If we can nail this issue 
> down its very likely I'll use GNU GPL 2 with an exception clause.

I suggest you use the wording: "GNU GPL version 2 or greater", as
suggested by the FSF, so you can be forward compatible with, for
instance, the GNU GPL v3, which should be compatible with Apache
Software License 2, alleviating you from the need to use the exceptional
clause from then on.

If you don't use the "or greater" and you accept code from others,
you'll need to contact them later on in order to change, and they might
not be accessible, so I suggest you provision for the future.

Regards, Rui

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