Re: Licencing issues (Was: Re: posix standards? $(CURDIR) or $$PWD or $(shell pwd)?)

[Paul D. Smith]

%% gk <address@hidden> writes:

  g> One of my concerns is licensing: If my product uses
  g> Gnu-make-specific features in its Makefiles will it be considered
  g> 'derivative' and bound by the GPL?

No, definitely not.  In the same way that if you write your code using
Emacs, or compile it with GCC, or run it using bash as your shell, it
does not become bound by the GPL, so controlling your builds with GNU
make does not bind whatever's built with the GPL .

The GPL only comes into play if you actually create a derivative work of
a GPL'd work, and that would require you to actually include some of GNU
make's _code_ in your product.

Merely _using_ it has no impact.

It's not clear to me exactly how you're using it, but note that first,
merely using a GPL'd product internally, even if you modify it, does not
mean you need to distribute your changes--the GPL only obliges you to
provide source code to anyone you give the derived product to.  Second,
even if you wanted to include GNU make with your product that would be
fine as long as it continued to be shipped as a separate program: that's
bundling.  In this case you'd only need to provide any changes you made
to GNU make itself under the GPL.

-- 
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 "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist