[Freegis-list] Re: [Fwd: iGMT licensing]

[Bernhard Reiter]

On Tue, Feb 06, 2001 at 03:08:25PM -0500, Thorsten Becker wrote:
> On Tue, 6 Feb 2001, Bernhard Reiter wrote:
> > On Tue, Feb 06, 2001 at 02:02:48PM -0500, Thorsten Becker wrote:

> > iGMT is not useful without GMT and therefore creates a combined
> > product with it, I think that US legal interpretations consider the
> > combination as a product a derived work.
> > 
> > > i therefore consider it appropriate that igmt has it's own license. 
> > 
> > Maybe we have to ask for legal advice here.

> well, if you convince me that we have to use th gmt licence, we use the
> gmt license. 

I asked RMS from the FSF about advice about the legal situation.
He agreed with me and thinks that iGMT has to come under GPL
as a combined work. 
  
He also sympathizes with your goal, but notes that the 
restriction is incompatible with free software, as well as with the GPL.
He added that:
  

| In addition, this is legally unenforcible (at least in the US).  In
| the US, under copyright law, anyone who obtains a lawfully-published
| copy is legally entitled to run it for any purpose--including a
| military purpose.  The developer has no legal right to impose
| conditions on the activity.

I see no reason for you to keep an uneffective restriction which is
even legally doubtful in the license for iGMT. You might make it
a strong suggestion so that your cause is heard. 

Regards,
	Bernhard

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