On Wed, 12 Sep 2001, Frank Hecker wrote:
>
> Actually I should have said, "the LGPL does not allow ...". The MPL
> clearly allows MPLed code to be combined with other code and the product
> as a whole distributed under non-MPL terms.
This is different than relicensing the code. Both the MPL and the LGPL
allow code covered by them to be linked with other code under other
licenses. The GPL is the one which doesn't.
You can take MPL (or LGPL) code, link it with something, and distribute
that something, so long as you fulfill the conditions of the MPL (or LGPL)
part, which is mainly that you must provide the source code (the MPL and
LGPL have slightly different such requirements).
On the other hand, the GPL cannot be merged with any code other than GPL
code (except for OS and compiler libraries).
> The question is whether the LGPL would allow MPLed code to be combined
> with LGPLed code (i.e., putting Mozilla code into an LGPLed library)
> and the resulting work distributed under LGPL terms (as required by
> the LGPL).
The LGPL wouldn't care, as far as I can tell. However, since the MPL
doesn't let you relicense the code under another license, the MPL wouldn't
let you merge the MPL code with the LGPL code (in the same file, with
the license of the MPL code changed to the LGPL).
>> More importantly, copyright law doesn't allow that (since that would
>> involve changing the license terms).
>
> I don't think it's a question of _changing_ license terms (as in
> stripping out license notices and replacing them with others), it's more
> a matter of allowing distribution under license terms other than those
> in the original license. Both the MPL and the LGPL contain language
> permitting this in certain specified circumstances, as long as certain
> requirements are met.
The "specified" and "certain" being very specific and very broad
respectively.
>> Is there a need (real or perceived) for Mozilla code to be
>> distributable as an LGPL library?
>
> I believe so. I can certainly conceive of someone wanting to take part
> or all of Mozilla (or at least Gecko) and embedding it in (or calling it
> from) an LGPL library that would be distributed under LGPL terms.
Embedding Mozilla or Gecko inside another app or library, or calling it
from a library, doesn't involve merging the codebases, and therefore both
licenses don't care.
Actually putting the Mozilla code, e.g. parts of nsCSSRendering.cpp, into
an LGPL library, though, is not allowed, since the MPL doesn't grant you
the right to change your license, and the LGPL requires the library to be
under one license, the LGPL.
(IANAL, I am merely trying to apply logic to the text of the licenses...)
--
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