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

[Thomas Barregren]

David Strauss skrev:
> Jeff Eaton wrote:
>   
>> This is very true. It's also important to keep in mind that the FSF gets
>> annoyed when people distribute code that "Is GPL Compliant, Wink Wink
>> Nudge Nudge" but doesn't actually do anything until you put it in the
>> presence of non-GPL code.
>>
>> So, while the GPL wouldn't prevent someone from whipping up a
>> compatibility module themselves or a one-off module like that for a
>> client, the FSF would consider it a violation of the GPL if that person
>> distributed the resulting module with a see-no-evil "Well, it's just
>> some code I wrote, people might install X and Y together, but how am I
>> to know?" excuse.
>>     
>
> To avoid this sort of GPL Hell, we have very specific terms on which we
> work with clients:
>
> (1) The client owns the work we do specifically for them.
>
> (2) The client licenses .module files and their dependencies back to us
> under the GPL, version 2, and all future versions as published by the FSF.
>
> The terms of (2) mean their internal staff can contribute to the
> project, but the final working modules are licensed back to us in a
> GPL-clean way that allows us to return the work to the community.

The other way around works as well. You can keep the intellectual 
property rights yourself and license the software under GPL to your 
customer.

Regards,
Thomas