* Chris Travers (chris@metatrontech.com) wrote:
> >It says, in no
> >uncertain terms, that GPL programs must come with complete source of
> >themselves and all dependancies under terms compatible with the GPL.
> >The advertising clause in OpenSSL is not acceptable.
> >
> >
> No it doesn't. Otherwise you couldn't release a GPL'd program for
> Windows. It actually says that the derivative work as a whole must be
> released under the GPL. Whatever this means is up to the courts,
> unfortunately. The FSF has their opinion on their web site, but
> ultimately the only one who gets to interpret the license
> authoritatively is the court. Because nobody wants to fight there is no
> clear guidance.
The courts are pretty likely to strongly consider the copyright holder's
opinion of the license when deciding how to interpret it. The fact that
it hasn't been well-tested in court doesn't mean it's not something to
be concerned with. Debian may be a little more cautious about this than
some other Linux distributions but if anything in their case it's
probably sensible since they don't have the funds to fight a court
battle.
Thanks,
Stephen
