Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] GNU Radio and GPL licensing issues (again)

[Eric Brombaugh]

What are your plans for the source code you create during your research?

- Are you only writing this code to support your research?

- Does your school require you to clear all the licenses for code you 
may use in the course of your research? Some schools (most?) will claim 
some IP rights to all research done on campus - they may want you to 
ensure they're not infringing by using the results of your work.

- Will you be releasing the source code when you're done?

- Do you plan to create a product (freely released or for sale)?

All of these things factor into how you handle the licensing.

Eric

Michael Dickens wrote:
> This is similar to the original discussion from 2004; see, e.g.:
> < 
> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/discuss-gnuradio/2004-11/msg00086.html >
>
> My dissertation will involve using GNU Radio in some capacity - e.g., 
> through a "compatibility layer" into the code that I'm writing.  The 
> details of my dissertation aren't relevant to this discussion.  The 
> "compatibility layer" file (or set of files) will be the only 
> programming that includes GNU Radio-specific programming; all of the 
> rest of the programming for my dissertation will be of my own 
> development.  The "compatibility layer" is for convenience - to make use 
> of certain, but not all, GNU Radio signal processing blocks (why 
> reinvent a perfectly good wheel?) and certain other features provided by 
> GNU Radio - but is not required for functionality of the rest of the 
> programming.
>
> I understand from the afore-mentioned discussion, as well as from 
> reading the GPLv3, that my "compatibility layer" programming -must- be 
> GPL'd in order to comply with the original license of GNU Radio (since 
> it will use "#include <some gr header>" and hence forms a "larger work").
>
> Can my "compatibility layer" be LGPL'd, or must the license be GPL to 
> match that of GNU Radio?
>
> Does the rest of my programming -have- to be GPL'd, because it -can- 
> (but is not -required to-) make use of my "compatibility layer" (which 
> must be GPL'd somehow), which in turn makes use of GNU Radio?
>
> In order for me to be able to choose my dissertation code's license 
> (which might end up being GPL; I haven't decided), do I need to further 
> separate the programming between my "compatibility layer" and the rest 
> of the code, e.g., via a pipe or socket (such that these 2 parts can be 
> 'exec'd separately)?
>
> In my reading of the GPL-FAQ, it seems like most of the answers are "it 
> depends" ... thus I'm hoping that someone here might have more precise 
> knowledge.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice! - MLD
>
>
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