[X2go-dev] GPL violations

R P Herrold herrold at owlriver.com
Thu Sep 23 00:23:29 CEST 2010


On Wed, 22 Sep 2010, Jörg Sawatzki wrote:

>> This article was not approved / written by the x2go-devs!
> Does that change the fact that the binaries are available on a public
> server for everybody?

no -- not unless the distributor is not the author (i.e., not 
the person entitled to assert a 'copyright') of the code in 
question -- the GPLv2 is a license that covers NON-creators 
... and terms of distribution by non-authors

> Listen, I downloaded the x2goplugin from plugin.x2go.org - so the guys
> behind plugin.x2go.org are required by license to give me the sources if
> I ask for it! That has nothing to do with the fact who has written the
> article on linux magazine!

The license may not apply -- this remains to be seen, does it 
not?

Reading I see: "notice placed by the copyright holder saying 
it may be distributed"   --- "may be" is not exclusive as to 
"must only be" distributed under that license; it is stating a 
permissive way to distribute, and for a non-author (a 
distributor) to properly be protected from assertions of a 
copyright infringement by the initial authors, via that 
license fixing certain terms

Did the authors holding the copyright receive some 'thing of 
value' from you that is 'consideration' underlying formation a 
contract requiring them to deliver something to you.  If they 
are the creators of the code, they can be as stingy and slow 
as they wish as to releasing sources as they wish, unless you 
have some contractual right to get at their properly (again, 
the g p LICENSE is a license applying to persons DISTRIBUTING 
binaries derived from sources [but who are not the copyright 
holder]

All that said, the internet has created a great sense of 
entitlement in many people --- yelling loudly (and starting a 
conversation with acusations) seems counter-productive

If the authors need help publishing sources, they may contact 
me out of band, and I'll be happy to assist with resources to 
get a public archive up and running

-- Russ herrold



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