[MPlayer-users] Re: License

[Kjetil Torgrim Homme]

Tomi Ollila <Tomi.Ollila at sonera.com> writes:

> How does mplayer module linking differ from Linux module linking in
> this issue. Linus allows proprietary modules to be linked w/ Linux
> kernel.  Linux license is GPL and upto now no-one has loudly
> attacked this issue.

The Linux kernel does not use existing GPL code.  A copyright holder
is free to set whatever license restrictions he wishes, so "GPL, but
linking in binary modules is OK" is valid.  Mplayer uses GPL code from
others, and Mplayer developers can't change the license on that code.
I'd like to stress that it's the copyright holders of these files
(opendivx, mp3lib etc.) who must protest.  As long as they don't care
about the Mplayer license, it doesn't matter what we think :-)


Kjetil T.