[MPlayer-dev-eng] MPlayer license versioning issue

[Andrew Savchenko]

Hi,

On Thursday 12 July 2007 17:11, Attila Kinali wrote:
> But i would like to ask why you would want to use GPLv3?
> Is there any special reason?

No, there is no special reasons. But I am cautious of lately 
started patent games, such as novell <-> m$ cross-patent issues.
Currently my project is small, it is unlikely that it touches some 
patents and even more unlikely that some corporations may be 
interested in proprietarizing it.

But someday the things may change. I know at least one example when 
code was proprietarized due to excessively permissive author 
license, and later regretioning of it.

> And more importantly whether you have fully understood GPLv3?
> If so, please explain it to me, because i couldn't graps
> the meaning behind all that legalise.

I don't fully understand GPL v3, neither GPL v2, I'm not a lawyer 
and my opinion is subjective. But after comparision of GPLv2 and 
v3 I came to the following conclusion.

There are at least two threats for free software from which GPL v2 
can't protect and GPL v3 can:

1) If the user of free software (e.g. corporation) is forced by 
patents or similar licenses/agreements to pay to patent holder for 
the right of use this free software which is affected by some 
patents, usage of such program is forbidden by GPL v3, but is 
possible whilst GPL v2 is used.

In other words GPL v3 prevents the case when end users must pay for 
the legal usage of free software due to patent issues.

2) Some manufactures may and are use free software in embedded 
devices. Some of them made unfair things: while they distribute 
source code and formally respect GPL v2, they made object code 
unchangable by end user via hardware protection, while remaining 
the ability to change code themselves.

GPL v3 forbids such thing: software should be either unchangable by 
all parties (i.e. written in ROM), or changable by anyone without 
additional payments, keys, paid utilities and similar 
restrictments.

Thats why I try to use GPL v3 for my code whenever it is possible 
and legal. Please note, than the text above is my personal vision 
of GPL v3 and it doesn't pretend to be an ultimate authority.
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