As I have been reading it and seeing it interpreted, someone can create a software package containing both proprietary and open source code. There are restrictions on how to keep the proprietary from becoming open source but if a product contains proprietary information, the source code to that information does not have to be distributed but the open source source code must be distributed EXACTLY as it was used in the compiled binary. On is not permitted to create a program and deliver modified source code for it. Therefore a binary distribution could be restricted without question. If 100% of the code and project were open source, the person who compiles it can distribute that compile, ever if it were exactly the same and therefore negate the "no distribution" clause. Proprietary components such as trademarks and graphics appear to be enough to allow for a no-distribution and force a would-be cloner to make code changes to redistribute the package under a different name. If I remember what I read correctly, Red Hat allows the trademarks and graphics from Fedora to be distributed with the binary IF there is no alteration from the original. If the code is changed or re-compiled, then the copy has to be stripped of all of the trademarks and whatever graphics are proprietary. Buck -----Original Message----- From: fedora-list-admin@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:fedora-list-admin@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Stephen Smoogen Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 12:15 PM To: fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Fedora and the System Administrator On Thu, 2003-10-02 at 19:45, Bill Anderson wrote: > > <the whirring sound of a can opener is heard> > If the binary is GPL, really I don't see how you stop that from being > redistributed either. That is an additional encumbrance not compatible > with the GPL. > Join the group of people who have asked the FSF opinion on this, doing anything else is just wasting electrons.. The only legal reading I have heard of it (not from RH) was that the GPL only really covers that a binary given will be given source code. It doesnt say that a person cant put addition restrictions on the binary.. only that it cant put restrictions on the distribution of the source code. -- Stephen John Smoogen smoogen@xxxxxxxx Los Alamos National Lab CCN-5 Sched 5/40 PH: 4-0645 Ta-03 SM-1498 MailStop B255 DP 10S Los Alamos, NM 87545 -- So shines a good deed in a weary world. = Willy Wonka -- -- fedora-list mailing list fedora-list@xxxxxxxxxx http://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list
