Return-Path: Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S264534AbTFIQkC (ORCPT ); Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:40:02 -0400 Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org id S264535AbTFIQkC (ORCPT ); Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:40:02 -0400 Received: from mail.webmaster.com ([216.152.64.131]:42163 "EHLO shell.webmaster.com") by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S264534AbTFIQkA (ORCPT ); Mon, 9 Jun 2003 12:40:00 -0400 From: "David Schwartz" To: "Frank Cusack" Cc: , Subject: RE: Linksys WRT54G and the GPL Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 09:53:37 -0700 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.6604 (9.0.2911.0) In-Reply-To: <20030608224727.D9097@google.com> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1106 Importance: Normal Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org Content-Length: 1613 Lines: 40 > On Sun, Jun 08, 2003 at 10:32:52PM -0700, David Schwartz wrote: > > Including the source with the product would be insufficient to > > meet the GPL > > requirements. They would have to offer the source (or a written offer to > > obtain the source for no more than the cost of physically copying it) to > > everyone who downloaded their software from their web site. The > > GPL is quite > > clear that the source code offer must be made to anyone to whom > > the object > > code is distributed. (The program must be accompanied by the offer.) > No, a source code *offer* must be made to anyone, period. No. > Section 3(b) of GPLv2 says "Accompany it with a written offer ... to give > any third party ... [the] source code". "Accompany" means two things have to travel together. If I have to accompany a car with an instruction manual, it does not follow that I must give the instruction manual to anyone who requests it. > If the source code is actually distributed with the object code, then > they need only make it available to those who obtain the object code. > Of course those folks are free to redistribute to anyone, if they want. But the object code is available from their web site. I don't see how you can accompany a download with a written offer, so to comply with the GPL, they must "accompany" the object code with the source code. DS - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/