Re: adding and forking someone else's GPL software - what should i do?

 On Sun, 20 Nov 2011 21:06:00 -0800, Daniel Pittman wrote:
>>> ...and, also, incompatible with the GPL.
>>
>> which clause?
>
> To the best of my non-lawyerly knowledge, it violates either clause 
> 5,
> or 6 of the GPLv2, which requires that people you distribute software
> to under the GPL under the same license.  Adding additional
> requirements that prevent distribution of modified versions (eg: not
> under the same name) means that you have rights that the person you
> distributed to doesn't.
>
> I think that the GPLv3 allows that additional restriction, though,
> which is strange; they call out that additional terms including
> "prohibiting misrepresentation of the origin of the software" are
> permitted.

 in the specific case i brought up, there are further conflicts which i 
 had not thought about before. the name of the project, zotero, is 
 trademarked, but all parts of the project are released under free 
 licences. the conflict is that some of the code uses the word zotero, 
 and thus i suppose can't be redistributed without changes. similarly 
 file and folder names, and the trademark owned by the various sponsors 
 (a university and other similar academic groups) will be similar as it 
 is embedded in various places such as the 'about' dialogue. apparently 
 re-distributors are forbidden from bringing the name of sponsors into 
 disrepute. also, there are icons and other images which contain the name 
 of the project. so, it conforms to free software, but due to the 
 trademark, we can't exercise all the rights given to us under that 
 license.

 an odd anomaly, one strand of IP affecting another. i wonder what the 
 complete, technical, legal stance is?

 or am i finding something that isn't there?

-- 
 robin

 http://fu.ac.nz - Auckland's Free University

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