www/licenses gpl-faq.html

[Richard M. Stallman]

CVSROOT:        /webcvs/www
Module name:    www
Changes by:     Richard M. Stallman <rms>       07/01/09 22:01:37

Modified files:
        licenses       : gpl-faq.html 

Log message:
        (GPLWrapper): New question.

CVSWeb URLs:
http://web.cvs.savannah.gnu.org/viewcvs/www/licenses/gpl-faq.html?cvsroot=www&r1=1.84&r2=1.85

Patches:
Index: gpl-faq.html
===================================================================
RCS file: /webcvs/www/www/licenses/gpl-faq.html,v
retrieving revision 1.84
retrieving revision 1.85
diff -u -b -r1.84 -r1.85
--- gpl-faq.html        16 Dec 2006 01:48:24 -0000      1.84
+++ gpl-faq.html        9 Jan 2007 22:01:28 -0000       1.85
@@ -443,6 +443,12 @@
     name="TOCGPLInProprietarySystem">I'd like to incorporate GPL-covered
     software in my proprietary system.  Can I do this?</a></li>
   
+    <li><a href="#GPLWrapper" name="TOCGPLWrapper">I'd like to
+    incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system.
+    Can I do this by putting a "wrapper" module, under a GPL-compatible
+    lax permissive license (such as the X11 license) in between the
+    GPL-covered part and the proprietary part?</a></li>
+  
     <li><a href="#FSWithNFLibs" name="TOCFSWithNFLibs"> Can I write
     free software that uses non-free libraries?</a></li>
 
@@ -1647,6 +1653,23 @@
 program, side by side, their rights will be clear.
 </p></dd>
 
+<dt><b><a href="#TOCGCCWrapper" name="GCCWrapper"> I'd like to
+incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system.
+Can I do this by putting a "wrapper" module, under a GPL-compatible
+lax permissive license (such as the X11 license) in between the
+GPL-covered part and the proprietary part?</a></b></dt>
+
+<dd><p>No.  The X11 license is compatible with the GPL, so you can add
+a module to the GPL-covered program and put it under the X11 license.
+But if you were to incorporate them both in a larger program, that
+whole would include the GPL-covered part, so it would have to be
+licensed <em> as a whole </em> under the GPL GPL.</p>
+
+<p>The fact that proprietary module A communicates with GPL-covered
+module C only through X11-licensed module B is legally irrelevant;
+what matters is the fact that module C is included in the whole.
+</p></dd>
+
 <dt><b><a href="#TOCLibGCCException" name="LibGCCException"> Does the
 libstdc++ exception permit dynamic linking?</a></b></dt>
 
@@ -2469,7 +2492,7 @@
 <p>
 Updated:
 <!-- timestamp start -->
-$Date: 2006/12/16 01:48:24 $ $Author: exal $
+$Date: 2007/01/09 22:01:28 $ $Author: rms $
 <!-- timestamp end -->
 </p>
 </div>