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Re: [Linphone-users] Changing the sources, is everything allowed?


From: Simon Morlat
Subject: Re: [Linphone-users] Changing the sources, is everything allowed?
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:56:43 +0200
User-agent: KMail/1.12.1 (Linux/2.6.30-1-amd64; KDE/4.3.1; x86_64; ; )

Hi Michael,

Thanks for submitting your question.

My understanding of the GPL license is that your company is allowed to do that. It seems the GPL does not require the executable to show license and author information, nor forbids to remove it if it exists. Most requirements concern the source code.

Concerning redistribution of object code or executable, the GPL says:

3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following:

a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or,

....

I understand that the recipient of the program must be aware of the availability of the source code, and the company must be able to provide it to the user (a download link is probably the cheapeast method, it's free).

And of course the source code license and copyright notices of the original program must be preserved.

Hope this helps. Remember this is not the answer from a lawyer, just a developer, so maybe I missed something.

Feel free to consult the GPL faq here:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

It is instructive and well explained.

Simon

Le mercredi 14 octobre 2009 09:48:31, michael kapelko a écrit :

> Hello.

> Local company I work at wants me to change linphone sources like this:

> remove "Thanks" and "License" menu entries;

> change "linphone.org" link to "local site";

> remove "created by Simon Morlat";

> change the name of the app;

> change the icon.

> This feels bad to me, so I'd like to ask if this will be a violation of

> some kind.

> AFAIK, GPL allows to change all the sources as long as the result is open

> too, but that change is sorta unethical.

> Thanks.

>


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