For what it's worth...
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 19:03:39 -0500
From: Free Software Foundation <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Aaron Mulder <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Java, GPL, & APL
Aaron Mulder wrote:
> Okay, I've heard too many opinions on the GPL, so I'm taking it to
> the source. I will discuss this in general terms if it's OK with you.
>
> There exist two open-source products. One uses an Apache license.
> One uses a GPL license. They are complimentary products - the capabilites
> of both together are greater than that of either alone. They can be run
> totally independently, communicating over the network, but the performance
> is not great. They can also be run together, in the same Java VM, and the
> performance is much better. The GPL product has included some code that
> configures and launches the APL product. It directly references Java
> classes (such as the startup class) that are part of the APL product.
> This is what allows you to run them together within one VM. The APL
> product does not ever reference the GPL code directly - only through the
> standard interfaces defined by Sun in one of the javax.* packages. After
> the startup sequence, the GPL product never refers to the APL code
> directly at all (essentially, the APL product is a client of the GPL
> product).
> So the questions are:
>
> 1) Is it legal for the APL product to work with the GPL product through
> the standard interfaces defined by Sun in the javax.* packages? We
> suspect yes, since this is a standard and the APL program never reaches
> "through" those standard interfaces to deal directly with the GPL code.
It appears that you combine the APL'ed software with the GPL'ed software to
form a larger program. This is not permitted, since the APL is incompatible
with the GPL.
> 2) Is it legal for the GPL product to directly reference APL classes to
> configure and start the APL product?
No, that is not legal, because you are combining the two programs to form a
larger program.
> 2b) If there is a problem with this, is there any way to configure and
> start the two products in the same VM?
Not if they make calls to each other. You'll need to get the license of one
or the other changed to a dual license---the disjunction of the GPL and the
APL.
> 3) Would it be appropriate to package the GPL product and "glue
> code" (startup and configuration for APL product) together, and leave the
> APL product separate?
We believe this is legally the same as distributing them together, and thus,
is not permitted.
> 4) Would it be legal to package everything together, and create one
> combined download that "out-of-the-box" runs both products together? This
> is the subject of much debate.
That is not permitted since the APL is incompatible with the GPL.
> So it's not clear whether the phrase "contains or is derived
> from" would apply to this single unified package.
We argue that it definitely does, when you combine them together to form a
larger program.
--
Bradley M. Kuhn
Free Software Foundation | Phone: +1-617-542-5942
59 Temple Place, Suite 330 | Fax: +1-617-542-2652
Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA | Web: http://www.gnu.org
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