Re: Substitute classes

[David Chisnall]

On 17 Mar 2011, at 13:49, David Wetzel wrote:

> Gnustep is LGPL. 
> So there is no issue. 

Note: the above claim is not legal advice and neither is this.  Consult with a 
copyright lawyer in your jurisdiction if you want legal advice.  

I think the LGPL is in something of a grey area with regard to licenses like 
the iPhone.  The LGPL section 6b is the one that normally allows linking of 
LGPL libraries with non-Free software, however this explicitly requires the end 
user to replace the LGPL'd shared library with their own version.  This is not 
possible on a locked-down version.  A strict interpretation of this clause 
would mean that Apple is in violation of the LGPL by shipping WebKit with 
Mobile Safari and not providing a mechanism for the end user to replace it with 
their own version.  

Exactly how the license would be interpreted is unknown until a court has ruled 
on the matter.

David