Re: Using non-GPL libraries in a GPL program

[Alexander Terekhov]

Juha Nieminen wrote:
> 
> Alexander Terekhov wrote:
> > Only copyright owners and authorized sublisenors can copyright
> > (sub)license protected material. And while the MIT license does allow
> > sublicensing ("Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any
> > person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation
> > files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction,
> > including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge,
> > publish, distribute, SUBLICENSE...", the GPL shoots itself in the foot
> > proclaiming that "Sublicensing is not allowed ... the recipient
> > automatically receives a license from the original licensors" (that is
> > original MIT license in the case of "MIT-licensed library in a GPL
> > program").
> 
>   I didn't quite understand if this is a "yes" or "no" answer to my
> question, ie. what happens if you use MIT-licensed code in a GPL
> program. 

In the GNU Republic, it magically becomes GPL'd by virtue of
"relicensing" ("The idea is that there are some other Free Software
licences which are compatible with the GPL meaning that if a program is
released under one of those licences, that licence gives, effectively,
permission to relicence under the GPL." 
http://fsfeurope.org/projects/gplv3/barcelona-rms-transcript.en.html)
and in spite of the GPL itself proclaiming that "Sublicensing is not
allowed ... the recipient automatically receives a license from the
original licensors"). The GNU Republic is the land of contradictory
absurdity.


>          Does the code become GPL? If the answer is yes, can this cause
> problems with respect to the original MIT-licensed code: Now it has two
> licenses, MIT and GPL, and the latter one does not allow for the code to
> be used with the former?

To begin with, see 

http://www.usfca.edu/law/determann/softwarecombinations060403.pdf

Hth.

regards,
alexander.

--
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be infinitely looped as GNGNGNGNG...NGNGNG... and can be said backwards
too, whereas GNU cannot.)