The CCP4 license does explicitly allow you to redistribute library code
Phil
On 3 Jul 2007, at 20:09, Michel Fodje wrote:
On Tue, 2007-07-03 at 10:54 -0700, Ethan Merritt wrote:
Not at all. Consider all those users of GPL programs running on
Windows. The developers of cygwin, mplayer, etc have no right to
redistribute Windows itself.
Programs running under windows are not derivative works of Windows
otherwise software developers will require a license from Microsoft
to develop windows software. Simply linking to system libraries
does not make a program a derivative as far as the GPL is
concerned. The only thing the GPL requires is that the users of the
software receive the same rights to the software that you received
They do have the same rights. They can use it, modify it, and
redistribute it. They may or may not be permitted to distribute
3rd party libraries with it, but that was true of the original
distributor also.
The specific rights that must be transferred with the software are:
1 - The freedom to run the program, for any purpose (freedom 0)
2 - The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to
your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition
for this.
3 - The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your
neighbor (freedom 2).
4 - The freedom to improve the program, and release your
improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits
(freedom 3). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
If you distribute software that, in whole or in part does not
convey all those freedoms, it is a violation of the GPL if you use
GPL code in it. Unless of course you are the original author of all
the GPL code, in which case it does not make sense to distribute it
under the GPL. Distributing sofware under the GPL license implies
that the recipients receive all those rights.
Well, there is of course one respect in which the rights are
different. The original author retains the copyright itself, and
consequently the right to issue other non-exclusive licenses. The
recipient of GPL code does not obtain a right to re-license.
The GPL (CopyLeft) is only concerned about the 4 freedoms (rights)
of users mentioned above. The rights of the author are taken care
of by copyright law.
/Michel
