Copyleft/guide Changeset - 01405a111a71

Changeset - 01405a111a71

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Bradley Kuhn (bkuhn) - 10 years ago 2014-03-18 22:40:28
bkuhn@ebb.org

GPLv2, Section 8 is gone and there isn't much to say about it anymore.

1 file changed with 4 insertions and 8 deletions:

gpl-lgpl.tex

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gpl-lgpl.tex

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 GPLv2~\S8 is rarely used by copyright holders.  Its intention is that if a
 particular country, say Unfreedonia, grants particular patents or allows
 copyrighted interfaces (no country to our knowledge even permits those
 yet), that the GPLv2'd software can continue in free and unabated
 distribution in the countries where such controls do not exist.
 It is a partial ``out'' from GPLv2~\S7.  Without GPLv2~\S8, if a copyright holder
 knew of a patent in a particular country licensed in a GPL-incompatible
 way, then she could not distribute under GPL, because the work could
 legitimately end up in the hands of citizens of Unfreedonia.
 It is an inevitable but sad reality that some countries are freer than
 others. GPLv2~\S8 exists to permit distribution in those countries that are
 free without otherwise negating parts of the license.
 As far as is currently known, GPLv2~\S8 has never been formally used by any
 copyright holders.  Some have used GPLv2~\S8 to explain various odd special
 topics of distribution, but generally speaking, this section is not
 particularly useful and was actually removed in GPLv3.
 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
 \chapter{Odds, Ends, and Absolutely No Warranty}
 GPLv2~\S\S0--7 constitute the freedom-defending terms of the GPLv2. The remainder
 of the GPLv2 handles administrivia and issues concerning warranties and

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