I've just read through the voip-info link and the GPL
FAQ.
My professional (but not formally legal) interpretation
would be:
As long as the none-GPL program or module is a separate
entity and not actually compiled in to another program, you can consider the two
licences seperately.
You must comply with both the GPL and the other program's
licence, but there is no cross-connection between the two
licences.
If you can install g729 without recompiling asterisk and
remove it again without breaking asterisk (other than g729 support, of course)
then the GPL 'Mere aggregation' clause should apply.
If the two together truly 'combined two modules into one
program' Asterisk would not operate at all with the g729 module
removed.
I think a good parallel is the Nvidia linux display driver.
This is a binary-only, none GPL package but Nvidia specifically allow the Linux
version to be freely copied as long as it is not modified.
Selling a PC that has Linux installed plus the Nvidia
driver would not breach the GPL as long as you seperately comply
with the GPL for Linux, and the installed Nvidia code is unmodified so the
distribution is permitted by their licence conditions.
If you wanted to be absolutely beyond any comebacks from
the customer, you could include a declaration that different parts of the system
are covered by different copyrights and licences - the Linux OS itself, any
installed none-GPL drivers, the PC BIOS, Video BIOS etc.
(Come to that, I've never seen any claims that Linux
violates the GPL by interacting with the PC BIOS & Video BIOS as it must
while booting, and they are most certainly none GPL!)
Robert Jenkins.
Geez. This is starting to sound like Microsoft licensing.
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Lacy Moore - Aspendora
Sent: 30 July 2006 02:27
To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion
Subject: Re: [asterisk-users] Asterisk/GPL and G.729 licensing
On 7/29/06, Tzafrir Cohen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:On Tue, Jul 25, 2006 at 03:32:20PM +1000, Nick Hoffman wrote:
> Hi guys. I just stumbled upon
> http://www.voip-info.org/wiki/index.php?page=Asterisk+G.729+Licensing and
> read the section titled "Warning". I'm a bit confused now. Are you
> violating the GPL (or any other license) if you sell a computer with
> Asterisk and a G.729 license installed?
Dislcaimer: IANALATINALA
Asterisk can be used under three different licenses:
1. non-free: if you py Digium. Not relevant here.
2. The GNU GPL. The problem is that the GPL has a conflict with
openh323, openssl (at least according to some people) and to any code
whose redistribution is prohibited due to patentns ( e.g: g723.1/g729
codecs)
3. Modified GPL. The GNU GPL with some small exceptions. Those allow
linking with openssl, openh323 and with patented code.
So as long as you actually use (3) and not (2) and don't violate the
terms of the licenses for the code you actually want to redistribute
(e.g: read caefully the license of the 'register' utility) you should
probably be clear.
Some modules have a license that is only GPL (() and not (3)). Those
include the mysql module from addons (right?) and probably quite a few
third-party modules. You are not allowed to use both such a module and
the g729 codec on the same Asterisk system because it would violate
either the terms of (2) (the g729 module adds restrictions that conflict
with the GPL) or with the GPL terms of thoe modules (the modified GPL
adds restrictions that conflict with the original GPL license).
--
Tzafrir Cohen sip:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
icq#16849755 iax:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
+972-50-7952406 jabber:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.xorcom.com
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Lacy Moore
Aspendora, Inc.
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