[Opensim-dev] Viewer license issues [was: Re: OpenSimulator 0.7 (was incorrectly 0.6) Roadmap]

[Ryan McDougall]

On Thu, 2008-08-28 at 22:16 +0100, Michael Wright wrote:

> 
> But yeah the ideal solution on the client front is a useable working
> non GPL client. Until we can add features/GUI's to a clien, while at
> the same time work on opensim. Custom features/applications are very
> difficult. 

I know we are BSD fans around here but the problem isn't with the GPL. I
quite like the GPL, and the FSF itself is happy to help you sort out how
to live peaceably with BSD.

The problem here is 

1. a strange US legal ruling that says transcoding (from C++ to C#) can
be consider copying and thus fall under copyright (although who here
knows what conditions those are?)

2. the fact that LL owns copyright on this GPLed code and can thus sue
for infringement

3. a strange US penchant for suing instead of competing in the market

If someone wrote a GPLed viewer from scratch there would be no issues so
long as no code was copied verbatim, because there would be no wronged
party.

That said, the solution to allegations of copying is to remove the
offending code, not give up the project and go home.

Cheers,