[development] Modules that integrate non-GPL PHP apps violatethe GPL.

[Thomas Barregren]

Larry Garfield skrev:
> Hrm.  So, a few applied examples:
>
> Suppose for a moment that TinyMCE was non-GPL.  Someone other than the TinyMCE authors writes our TinyMCE module, which is a wrapper with value-add around TinyMCE to make it work in Drupal.  The TinyMCE module is distributed GPL, and end-users are expected to download TinyMCE themselves and put them together.  There is no distribution of the combined code.  Legal or illegal?

Illegal. See

  * 
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#MoneyGuzzlerInc.

However, if both Drupal and the module makes an exception, it is legal. 
There are two common exceptions made: The FLOSS Exception and the 
Controlled Interface Exception. See

  * 
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs
  * 
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#LinkingOverControlledInterface

> I was always under the impression that was legal, since there was no distribution of non-GPLed code and GPLed code together.  nVidia is, too, since that's how the nvidia drivers for Linux work. :-)  (non-Free driver and GPLed wrapper that goes into the kernel.)
>
> Scenario 2: A theme engine that is designed to consume non-PHPTemplate template files produced by a non-Free system, such as Dreamweaver or a design-time CMS.  Legal or illegal?

Legal. The output of Drupal is not a derivative work based on Drupal. 
Hence GPL don't apply. Furthermore, the template is just data to Drupal.

There are several related answers in the GPL FAQ. Here are a few:

  * 
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#CanIUseGPLToolsForNF
  * http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#GPLOutput
  * http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html#WMS


Best regards,
Thomas