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

[Frisby, Adam]

Unfortunately, the GPL isn't actually that simple.

There is a whole bunch of clauses relating to things like linking with other software, and there's a large number of licenses which are incompatible with the GPL (We use several libraries under the Apache 2.0 which are blocks for instance)

If you want some information on the transcoding thing, please do a search about 6 months back, Sean wrote an excellent informative email on the topic.

FYI - We have had legal advice on this from a number of lawyers now (I think the count is now 5 individual or teams of lawyers.) on this matter. The only way we can get around this is if Linden Lab provides some form of indemnification on the matter, or if a developer goes through a considerable 'waiting period' (6 months seems to be acceptable) before switching from the viewer to the server work.

Adam

> -----Original Message-----
> From: opensim-dev-bounces at lists.berlios.de [mailto:opensim-dev-
> bounces at lists.berlios.de] On Behalf Of Kyle Hamilton
> Sent: Thursday, 28 August 2008 11:01 PM
> To: opensim-dev at lists.berlios.de
> Subject: Re: [Opensim-dev] Viewer license issues [was: Re:
> OpenSimulator 0.7 (was incorrectly 0.6) Roadmap]
>
> The GPL says that you can copy, you just have to make the source of
> all binaries you distribute available.  It's a license which specifies
> its conditions for revocation.
>
> I don't really understand the problem with the GPL.  If you make
> custom changes to the code and don't give the binary out to anyone,
> /you don't have to give the source out/.  (The only exception is
> called the GPL Affero license, which states that if you make changes
> to a server you must give the code to those changes out to the users
> of that server -- but that's applied primarily to content management
> systems.)
>
> I'd like to see the 'transcoding is copying' ruling you allude to --
> the very recent Veoh case on the surface appears not to allow that
> interpretation.  Since I'm confused on the topic, I'm looking at Title
> 17 of the US Code, which is all about copyright... and I'm still
> rather confused.
>
> Is there a lawyer in the house?
>
> -Kyle H
>
> On Thu, Aug 28, 2008 at 6:30 PM, Ryan McDougall <sempuki1 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > 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.
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