Re: early review of RH 9 (Shrike)
Gordon Messmer <[email protected]>
| Newsgroups | gmane.linux.redhat.release.phoebe |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
Michael Knepher wrote: > > Here's the gist, as I understand it: the GPL says you can't GPL code > that's encumbered by patent restrictions that will prevent > redistribution down the line. The MP3 patents are royalty free for > software that's distributed free-of-charge, but must be licensed by > developers who sell their MP3-based software. Thomson has apparently not > been forthcoming about what it means when, say, XMMS with MP3 code is > bundled into a retail box with a price tag on it. If Thomson decides to > seek royalties from Linux distros, that's a conflict with the GPL > provision, meaning the MP3 code in XMMS can't legitimately be GPL'd. It's actually slightly more fundamental than that. Because the patents inhibit your *right* to charge for the software (royalty-free), the GPL requires that you not distribute such software. It doesn't matter whether you actually want to excercise that right; because it can not be given, you can not redistribute the software under the terms of the GPL. -- Phoebe-list mailing list [email protected] https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/phoebe-list