On Wed, Jan 12, 2011 at 12:44, Stephen Holt <stephen.h...@gmail.com> wrote:
> The issue, as I understand it, isn't about availability of source, but > extra restrictions applied to the App's license (whatever that is) which is > incompatible with the GPL. > > from <http://www.apple.com/legal/itunes/us/terms.html#APPS>: > > > You agree that the Services and certain Products include security > technology that limits your use of Products and that, whether or not > Products are limited by security technology, you shall use Products in > compliance with the applicable usage rules established by Apple and its > principals (“Usage Rules”), and that any other use of the Products may > constitute a copyright infringement. > > and from the Usage Rules section: > > > (i) You may download and use an application from the Mac App Store (“Mac > App Store Product”) for personal, non-commercial use on any Apple-branded > products running Mac OS X that you own or control (“Mac Product”). > > > > (ii) If you are a commercial enterprise or educational institution, you > may download a Mac App Store Product for use either (a) by a single > individual on each of the Mac Product(s) that you own or control, or (b) by > multiple individuals on a single shared Mac Product that you own or control. > For example, a single employee may use a Mac App Store Product on both the > employee’s desktop Mac Product and laptop Mac Product, or multiple students > may serially use the Product on a single Mac Product located at a resource > center or library. > > > > (iii) Use may require sign-in with the Apple ID used to download the Mac > App Store Product from the Mac App Store. Mac App Store Products can be > updated through the Mac App Store only. > > Essentially - the App Store EULA dictates how you can use and distribute > the binary you download, which is a big incompatibility with the GPL. > > For some more background, the FSF has a good article on why the GPL and App > Store are in conflict: < > http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/more-about-the-app-store-gpl-enforcement > > > > -- > Steve Holt > > P.S. Please don't take any of this as a value judgement either for or > against the GPL. This is merely the situation we're in as I understand it. > > P.P.S. I am not a lawyer. > > > > On Jan 12, 2011, at 9:22 AM, Joe Hildebrand wrote: > > > On 1/11/11 3:43 PM, "Evan Schoenberg, M.D." <e...@adium.im> wrote: > > > >> In the current agreement for the App Store - on all platforms - there > are > >> several provisions which restrict distribution. These are incompatible > with > >> the GPL. > > > > Could you provide us with the relevant provisions, please? > > > > What about out-of-the-box approaches like providing (all of!) the source > as > > a part of the application download? > > > > -- > > Joe Hildebrand > > > > > > > Additionally, the EULA you are forced to add on your application requires a *non-transferrable* license, while the GPL is explicitly transferrable. Zac
