Arnout Engelen wrote: > On Sun, Aug 02, 2009 at 02:20:15PM +0200, Ralf Mardorf wrote: > >> Arnout Engelen wrote: >> >>> If you don't have the copyright to a piece of code you wrote, for example >>> because you wrote it for your employer, then this means you are *not >>> allowed* >>> to distribute this code. Not under the GPL, and not under whatever >>> other license either. >>> >>> To distribute the code, you must either get the copyright on the work back, >>> or get permission from the actual copyright holder (employer, institution) >>> to >>> do so. >>> >> You misunderstood my broken English. GPL only allows a copyleft, that's >> why no institute or professor can use GPL licensed code and take on the >> copyright. >> >> I don't think any institute is allowed to take on a copyright by using GPL >> licensed code. >> > > Example. > > Say I'm employed, and I'm working on some project for my employer. I download > some GPL'ed code, and write some nontrivial additions to it. > > This now means the institution has the copyright on the code I wrote. If I'd > want to distribute this software, I'd need 2 things: > 1) distribute it under the GPL > 2) ask my employer to either: > a) grant me my copyright back on the additions > b) give me permission to distribute the software under the GPL > > If I wouldn't do (1), I would violate the copyright of the original author of > the GPL'ed code I download. > > If I wouldn't do (2), I would violate the copyright of my employer. > > In other words, if my employer doesn't give me permission to distribute the > work I did for him, I cannot distribute it at all, regardless of the GPL. > The instition is still bound by the GPL though, so they can't distribute the > software under anything other than the GPL - but they can still choose not to > distribute at all. > > > Arnout >
Easy to understand examples, thank you. Yes, this is what I mean by my post, using GPL code means that nobody can take on the copyright without violating the GPL. _______________________________________________ Linux-audio-dev mailing list [email protected] http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo/linux-audio-dev
