[Python-Dev] DRAFT: python-dev Summary for 2006-01-01 through 2006-01-15

["Martin v. Löwis"]

Stephen J. Turnbull wrote:
> You also need to ask about the cost of defending against a lawsuit by
> the FSF, which is both the copyright holder of the library and the
> primary advocate of the interpretation that a work which is intended
> to be linked with another work is a derivative.  I think the FSF
> pretty much would have to fight any claims that contest its
> interpretation of the concept of "derived work", because any
> interpretation that requires a direct source-to-source copy will make
> the GPL irrelevant.

So would you just like to see the readline module to be removed from
the Python distribution?

I personally don't, because I don't believe that the status quo
conflicts with FSF's interpretation of the GPL, atleast not wrt.
to anything the PSF does (i.e. source and Windows distribution).

Also, I firmly believe that the FSF would *not* sue the PSF, but
instead first ask that the status is corrected.

Notice that the LGPL 2.1 somewhat elaborates on what the FSF
considers "derived" wrt. linking:

# When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a
# shared library, the combination of the two is legally speaking a
# combined work, a derivative of the original library. The ordinary
# General Public License therefore permits such linking only if the
# entire combination fits its criteria of freedom.

So it is the act of linking (and probably to some extent, the act
of compiling) that creates the derivative work.

Regards,
Martin