Joerg,
I'd be glad if you (can) explain me where I'm wrong. GPL, Section 0, Sentence 1: ====== This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. ====== mkisofs.c: ====== /* * Program mkisofs.c - generate iso9660 filesystem based upon directory * tree on hard disk. * * Written by Eric Youngdale (1993). * * Copyright 1993 Yggdrasil Computing, Incorporated * Copyright (c) 1999,2000-2007 J. Schilling * * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2, or (at your option) * any later version. ====== So, the GNU GPL applies to mkisofs.c, right? GPL, Section 0, Sentence 2: ====== The "Program", below, refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program" means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. ====== So, mkisofs.c is the "Program" and cdrtools is a "work based on the Program", right? GPL, Section 2, b: ====== "You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License." ====== You are publishing the cdrtools package. The cdrtools package "in whole or in part contains" mkisofs.c. So, "you must cause" the cdrtools package "to be licensed as a whole" under the terms of the GNU GPL, right? It seems to me that you are obliged to publish cdrtools under the GNU GPL until cdrtools contains at least one piece of work which is licensed under the GNU GPL. Actually that is what the GNU GPL is all about - to force you to keep the source of a given project open if you had used any GPLd work for that project. How can this be achieved? Simply the GPL applies itself to the whole system if even the smallest part of the system was licenced under it. Like a virus. :) -- Best regards, Daniel -- gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org mailing list
