I really hope this generates an opinion on the applicability of copyright to APIs, I doubt it will though as it would seem to threaten many folks rent-seeking. It would seem however that the legal theory that undid IBM and allowed Memorex to make 'plug compatible' storage would inform the court on how it should consider 'plug compatible' software.
God will be just. Esau and JAcob confuse me, though, so don't be a chump.
God says...
C:\LoseThos\www.losethos.com\text\QUIX.TXT
He gave her the acorns, and also a cheese which Teresa had
given him as being particularly good and superior to those of Tronchon.
The duchess received it with greatest delight, in which we will leave
her, to describe the end of the government of the great Sancho Panza,
flower and mirror of all governors of islands.
CHAPTER LIII.
OF THE TROUBLOUS END AND TERMINATION SANCHO PANZA'S GOVERNMENT CAME TO
To fancy that in this life anything belonging to it will remain for ever
in the same s
I think Oracle has gone round the bend, but does the anti-Oracle view of APIs mean basically that all GPL software is LGPL?
When you call a function, why should that function's copyright status have any bearing on the copyright status of your function? Because they're in the same file? What is a file?
A library's header file is included verbatim into your file by the compiler, as is the library file by the linker. When you copy-and-paste something into your own work, copyright covers the copying.
One technicality is that until you compile the program, no copying is taking place, so the GPL can't apply to source code. The only argument against that I see is that you're intending for the copy to take place, which is as good as the copy actually taking place. But I have no idea. (OTOH, not many people try to avoid the GPL when sharing their source code anyway.)
If you have a billion-dollar idea that depends on the GPL working, you should probably hire a very good lawyer to advise you.
4 comments
[ 416 ms ] story [ 66.2 ms ] threadGod says... C:\LoseThos\www.losethos.com\text\QUIX.TXT
He gave her the acorns, and also a cheese which Teresa had given him as being particularly good and superior to those of Tronchon. The duchess received it with greatest delight, in which we will leave her, to describe the end of the government of the great Sancho Panza, flower and mirror of all governors of islands.
CHAPTER LIII.
OF THE TROUBLOUS END AND TERMINATION SANCHO PANZA'S GOVERNMENT CAME TO
To fancy that in this life anything belonging to it will remain for ever in the same s
When you call a function, why should that function's copyright status have any bearing on the copyright status of your function? Because they're in the same file? What is a file?
One technicality is that until you compile the program, no copying is taking place, so the GPL can't apply to source code. The only argument against that I see is that you're intending for the copy to take place, which is as good as the copy actually taking place. But I have no idea. (OTOH, not many people try to avoid the GPL when sharing their source code anyway.)
If you have a billion-dollar idea that depends on the GPL working, you should probably hire a very good lawyer to advise you.