On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:55:14 +0900 Olaf Meeuwissen <olaf.meeuwissen at avasys.jp> wrote:
> > GPL backend + proprietary decoding libs. A manufacturer would choose > > compatible terms for this case and it is not forbidden by the GPL. > > There are two possibilities here: > > 1) the non-free decoding libs are licensed under a GPL compatible > license. This means that you need to provide the source code > and allow modification, redistribution and redistribution of > modifications, making the decoding libs in effect mostly free. > > 2) add an exception to the GPL which makes the backend no longer > GPL'd (in the strict sense). > > In either case, your scenario ceases to exist. > > # If users are free to drop the exception to the GPL when making > # derived works, you could argue the backend is GPL'd, though. I don't think any mfr would care if is GPL or GPL-strict, as long as it is allowed for them to distribute their work. -- Best regards, Alessandro Zummo, Tower Technologies - Torino, Italy http://www.towertech.it
