Re: GPL-3+ licensed test fixture (SVG/metadata) in BSD-3 project

On Mon, 16 Mar 2026 at 12:48, Mechtilde Stehmann <[email protected]> wrote:
> What are the requirements to have a derived work in the sense of the GPL?
>
> What can I put together without having a derived work?

Hi Mechtilde,

Happy to clarify how the standard definition applies here. Generally,
a derivative work is an expressive creation that includes major
copyrightable elements of an underlying work.

In this specific case, we aren't crossing that threshold. A datafile
that is simply parsed by an application during a test run doesn't make
the application a derivative work. At the limit, if a test parsed a
proprietary datafile, it wouldn't make the software non-free. The same
logic applies to GPL virality—because the test data is just input and
could be removed without changing the resulting binary, the binary is
not a derivative work.

This aligns, for example with the FSF's position that you can
distribute a GPL game engine along with non-copyleft assets.

Cheers,
Luke Faraone