Paul G. Allen wrote:
> On Wed, 2007-05-02 at 15:46 -0700, Gregory K. Ruiz-Ade wrote:
> >
> > A constant point of confusion in this specific case seems to be
> > exactly to whom you must distribute (or make available) sources for
> > such an application. Is it only those who you sell/distribute the
> > binaries to, or is it any comer who would like the sources?
>
> It's very clear in the license. Under the GPL, you must provide the
> Program to *anyone* that wants it, either for free or for the reasonable
> cost of creating and providing the copies (i.e. - making the CDs and
> mailing them). GPL, Version 2:
--snip of GNU General Public License Version 2, Section 2--
Wrong secton. You want section 3:
3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it,
under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of
Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:
a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable
source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections
1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,
b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three
years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your
cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete
machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be
distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium
customarily used for software interchange; or,
c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer
to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is
allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you
received the program in object code or executable form with such
an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.)
Note the ``one of the following''.
3.a) Give source at the same time as object code.
-or-
3.b) Written offer to gve ANYONE and that means ANYONE who asks for it a
copy of the source.
-or-
3.c) Pass on the written offer you were given.
If you distibrute the source along with the object code, you are good
and never need to bother with giving any J Random User any source code
if they come
begging.
If you go the 3.b route, you need to keep a copy of the source for at
least three years (or however long you make your written offer good for)
for any person that asks for it.
In short: Do you have to give the source to anyone who asks?
The answer is ``maybe.'' If you always keep the source with the object
code (separate tarball on same FTP server is sufficient) then no. If you
give a written offer, then yes. If you pass on a written offer, then you
are not the copyright holder.
There you go. Plain English.
(btw: most LUGs fail to abide by the terms of the GPL)
-john
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