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List:       kde-licensing
Subject:    Re: A more serious QPL-1.0 problem
From:       "Adam J. Richter" <adam () yggdrasil ! com>
Date:       1999-03-13 6:03:56
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>>>> = Adam J. Richter <adam@yggdrasil.com>
>>>  = Jeremy Blosser <jblosser@firinn.org>
>>   = Adam
>    = Jeremy

>> >> |       b. When modifications to the Software are released under this
>> >> |          license, a non-exclusive royalty-free right is granted to
>> >> |          the initial developer of the Software to distribute your
>> >> |          modification in future versions of the Software provided
>> >> |          such versions remain available under these terms IN ADDITION
>> >> |          TO ANY OTHER LICENSE(S) OF THE INITIAL DEVELOPER.
>> >> 
>> >>       This is a further restriction to the GPL, since the GPL does
>> >> not require such a permission grant, and it is illegal to publish
>> >> modifications to QPL'ed software without making such a grant.
>> >
>> >It is not illegal to publish modifications to QPL'ed software without
>> >making such a grant. 
>> 
>>       It is illegal for the practical purpose of distributing a useful
>> derivative work.  Per section 4 and 4c of the QPL, the machine-executable
>> modified work can only be distributed if the modifications are QPL'ed:
>
>While I agree that 4c is not at all desirable, I wouldn't agree that one
>has to be able to distribute binary versions of a derivative work for it to
>be useful.  You are still free to make a modification, license it under the
>GPL, and distribute the source.

	I am not a lawyer, but my understanding is that it would be a
violation of the GPL (we are talking about GPL'ed modifications) to
produce a work that recombined those patches with QPL'ed material
(since QPL adds further restrictions), even in a distribution
subterfuge scenario like "user does the compile."  So, I am curious as
to what method of practical use you had in mind.

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