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List:       kde-licensing
Subject:    Re: GPL compatibility of data licensing?
From:       Steve Langasek <vorlon () dodds ! net>
Date:       2003-08-19 15:25:43
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Hi Kevin,

Thanks for the reply.

On Tue, Aug 19, 2003 at 02:13:22AM -0500, Kevin Forge wrote:
> Perhaps GNU.org has a place to ask, but since kde-licensing@ is so 
> quiet these days ...

My question is not really about what the FSF's position on this might
be, and I'm not seeking legal counsel regarding the enforceability of
the GPL in such a case.  Rather, I'm interested to know what the
position of the KDE developer community is on the question of licensing
of bundled data.

> 1st there is the matter of where dose software end and data begin.  
> Basically the GPL covers software, not the data created or manipulated 
> with that software.  I.e. It is acceptable for a studio to use a GPLed 
> program running on a GPLed OS to create a movie, or some music which is 
> then licensed under the most draconian terms imaginable.

> It is also OK for you to use your GPLed Email program to download a 
> proprietary and copyrighted document attached to an Email and then read 
> it in your GPLed word processor.

You are absolutely right that the GPL doesn't cover data created or
manipulated with the software; this is addressed by the GPL's explicit
claim not to place limits on use of the software.  However, the GPL does
apply to *distribution* of a work, and it's always seemed to me that
when you distribute data files together with a program with the
intention that they be used together, the data files would also fall
under the purview of the GPL.  According to RMS, this is apparently not
the case.

> All the statement you read has done is define online help as a document 
> rather than a part of the program.  This makes sense to me but perhaps 
> others have another opinion.

> As for the Modified KDE.  You might get a cease and desist from Apple. :).
> Seriously.  I am not sure where icons and themes fall on the scale from 
> software to document.  Someone else has to answer that part.

:)  I'm certainly interested to know if others do have an opinion on
this.  Again, if there's a better list to post to in order to solicit
thoughts from the larger community of KDE developers, please point me in
their direction.

-- 
Steve Langasek
postmodern programmer

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