Re: gEDA-user: GPLv3 question

[DJ Delorie <dj@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> ?? OK, I admit I haven't read the GPLv3 that carefully yet.  Is it
> because it ships as a physical good that the "written offer" must be
> physically realized?  Does a silk screen of: "For sources:
> ftp://foo.org/public/sources/wonderwidget.tgz"; comply with the
> written offer clause?

I suppose it could, if you added a date to the silkscreen, and made
sure the ftp site stayed up the whole three years.

  "b) Convey the object code in, or embodied in, a physical product
      (including a physical distribution medium), accompanied by a
      written offer, valid for at least three years and valid for as
      long as you offer spare parts or customer support for that
      product model, to give anyone who possesses the object code
      either (1) a copy of the Corresponding Source for all the
      software in the product that is covered by this License, on a
      durable physical medium customarily used for software
      interchange, for a price no more than your reasonable cost of
      physically performing this conveying of source, or (2) access to
      copy the Corresponding Source from a network server at no
      charge."

The difference between this and the (d) clause (source and binaries on
a server together) is that for (b) you have to guarantee it stays
around for at least three years from the last hardware sale, or as
long as you support the hardware, whichever is longer.

Of course, you then have to keep track of *every* tarball for *every*
release you ever made.  Most devices come with a dvd anyway, putting
the sources for *that* device on *its* dvd meets the GPL and ends any
responsibility on your part.

It would make option (c) really tricky - how do you make a copy of the
offer?  :-)


_______________________________________________
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user