From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Oct 16 17:38:38 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A1F4916A4B3 for ; Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:38:38 -0700 (PDT) Received: from smtpout.mac.com (A17-250-248-86.apple.com [17.250.248.86]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 08D7E43F93 for ; Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:38:38 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from cswiger@mac.com) Received: from mac.com (smtpin08-en2 [10.13.10.153]) by smtpout.mac.com (Xserve/MantshX 2.0) with ESMTP id h9H0cb3Z009788; Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:38:37 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mac.com (dpvc-68-161-244-25.ny325.east.verizon.net [68.161.244.25]) (authenticated bits=0)h9H0cZbn028372; Thu, 16 Oct 2003 17:38:36 -0700 (PDT) Date: Thu, 16 Oct 2003 20:38:33 -0400 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v552) To: Matthew Luckie From: Charles Swiger In-Reply-To: <3F8F2546.7040708@luckie.org.nz> Message-Id: <3C9629F4-003A-11D8-A887-003065ABFD92@mac.com> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.552) cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Third Party Patches that link to OpenSSL X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 00:38:38 -0000 On Thursday, October 16, 2003, at 07:09 PM, Matthew Luckie wrote: > I've written an OpenSSL plugin for gaim that allows gaim to use the > OpenSSL libraries that come installed with FreeBSD. Gaim is a GPL > application, OpenSSL is BSD licensed, and apparently there are license > issues to deal with as a result. > > http://www.openssl.org/support/faq.html#LEGAL2 The first part of that reference starts with "On many systems including the major Linux and BSD distributions, yes (the GPL does not place restrictions on using libraries that are part of the normal operating system distribution)." ...and that would apply here, since FreeBSD supports OpenSSL as part of the normal OS distribution. > They've said that unless the gaim project sanctions the use of OpenSSL > with their code, that I should not release the code. Apparently that > would require contacting all of the prior developers to get their > permission. Who is "they"? Anyway, if there was a meaningful license conflict between Gaim and OpenSSL, the GPL (section 7) would forbid you from redistributing your modified version of Gaim+OpenSSL, but it would not forbid you from redistributing your patches by themselves. The upshot is that while the end-user using those patches might be subject to patent infringement issues due to OpenSSL including RC5, IDEA, or other such algorithms which are patented in some parts of the world-- and thus would not be able to redistribute the result of applying your patches for the same reasons mentioned above-- they would be able to personally _use_ the result without violating the GPL. IANAL, TINLA. Does this help...? :-) -- -Chuck