Re: [xml] GPL and other licensing issues

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From: Havoc Pennington (hp@redhat.com)
Date: Wed Feb 16 2000 - 02:44:39 EST

"Peter Jacobi" <pj@walter-graphtek.com> writes:
>
> I just tried to understand the GPL governing the use and
> distribution of libxml. And I didn't succeed.
>

Note that libxml is under the LGPL (or under the GPL as well, your
choice), which makes a big difference in this case. See COPYING.LIB
that comes with it.

> Some of my questions are:
>
> 1. Can I create and distribute a 'derived work' all source code free
> and under the GPL, when this 'derived work' needs an XML data file
> a third party holds copyright of? (provided that this third party will
> allow me the use of their copyrighted data)
>

Yes I think the XML data file isn't part of the program. So it's not a
derived work of libxml and its copyright is not relevant.

> 2. Can I create and distribute a DLL exporting the SAX interface
> under GPL and package it together with a commercial application
> using it through the exported SAX interface?
>
> 3. Can I create and distribute a 'derived work' as an DLL under
> GPL, exporting an API I definded and package it together with a
> commercial application using it through this exported API interface?
>

Under the LGPL, as long as the library (DLL) is entirely LGPL you can
link a proprietary application to it (note proprietary, not
commercial, is the relevant point - see www.gnu.org under
"terminology" or something). However if you statically link then
things get a bit more complex, I think the license talks about it.
However if you enhance libxml itself then those enhancements should be
released with source.

If libxml were GPL only then any application using it would need to be
GPL as well.

I'm not a lawyer and if this is relevant to your business decisions or
anything like that you should certainly have a lawyer give you an
opinion.

Havoc 

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