In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "Alfred M. Szmidt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > But if you use code that is copyrighted, say by linking or > > otherwise > > Writing a plug-in for the GIMP does not do anything prohibited by > copyright. Even if you include header files and such, that comes > under "there's just one way to do it", which makes it OK. So you > don't need permission and you don't need to distribute it under any > particular license. > > If the program depends on the other program in some manner, then yes > you do.
"Depends on" is does not automatically require copyright permission. If work X depends on Y, in the sense that X is useless without Y, and X interfaces at run time to Y and Y's data, that *can* be OK. See, for example, the various video game cases, where third parties made cheat add-ons for video games, without permission of the game makers. The relevant question is whether or not X is a derivative work of Y, not whether or not it "depends on...in some manner". -- --Tim Smith _______________________________________________ gnu-misc-discuss mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/gnu-misc-discuss
