Re: Question About GNU General Public License

[Stefaan A Eeckels]

On Mon, 02 Aug 2004 20:07:42 -0500
Isaac <isaac@latveria.castledoom.org> wrote:

> On 2 Aug 2004 13:25:05 -0700, Momchil Velikov <velco@fadata.bg> wrote:
> > 
> > GPL does not try to extend the copyright protection to the other parts
> > of the compilation or the collective works, thus there's no misuse of
> > copyright.  It merely authorizes you to make copies in GPL'ed
> > compilations and does not authorize you to make copies in non GPL'ed
> > compilations (AIUI).
> 
> If that were true, and if a program and the dynamically linked library
> that a program used together were a compilation work, how could the GPL 
> apply to the distribution of the program when the GPL covered library 
> was not also distributed?

The compilation is prepared in the user's computer. 
The dynamically linked executable cannot be a compilation,
because it contains nothing but references to the library.
I can envisage arguing that a dynamically linked executable
is a derivative work (not that I believe it to be the case),
but there is no way one could argue it could be a compilation
before the executable and the library are link edited.
IMHO, this activity would fall under 17 USC 117 (make 
adaptations required to run the program).

-- 
Stefaan
-- 
"What is stated clearly conceives easily."  -- Inspired sales droid