Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System

"J. Lewis Muir" <[email protected]> · Wed, 22 Oct 2014 17:07:22 -0500

On 10/22/14 4:45 PM, Johnson, Andrew N. wrote:
> Actually in many cases you don’t have to make your changes
> *publicly* available, you only have to make your exact modified
> source available to anyone to whom you give a copy of the program
> binary, so that they have the same rights and ability that you
> do to study and further modify it according to their needs. The
> public source requirement is only specifically required if
> you put a copy of a binary on a public network server; see
> http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AnonFTPAndSendSources and
> section 6(d) of GPLv3 for details.

Hi, Andrew.

Right, I didn't realize this.  I read the GPL FAQ link Martin Konrad
referenced in his reply which confirms this.  The FAQ entry does say,
though, that the person or company to whom you give the source code is
free to publish it, so I wouldn't base my business on keeping the source
code private for this case.

> I would be careful with making assumptions about using “plug-in”
> programs, the GPLv3 definition for Corresponding Source "includes
> interface definition files associated with source files for the work,
> and the source code for shared libraries and dynamically linked
> subprograms that the work is specifically designed to require,
> such as by intimate data communication or control flow between
> those subprograms and other parts of the work.” This means that
> “intimate” inter-program communication could also require your
> program to be released under the GPL in some cases.

See:

  http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLAndPlugins

To me, that supports what I said.

Regards,

Lewis

Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System