Licensing Issues

[Mark Evenson]

> On Jun 30, 2015, at 13:50, Pascal J. Bourguignon <pjb at informatimago.com> wrote:
> 
> Hamda Binte Ajmal
> <hamda.binte.ajmal at gmail.com> writes:
> 
>> Hello,
>> I am using ABCL to run lisp files in my Java code.
>> ABCL is covered by the GNU General Public License with Classpath 
>> exception, meaning that you can use ABCL in your application without the 
>> requirement to open the sources to your application. So, I conclude the 
>> GNU GPL is not going to effect the license of my Java Code,
>> 
>> BUT, what about the lisp code I load using ABCL? Would it have to be 
>> released under GNU GPL ?
> 
> It depends if your lisp code + abcl is a derived work of abcl or not.
> 
> AFAIUI, 
> 
> If your lisp code is 100% conforming code, and therefore can be run
> unchanged on other CL implementations, you have a good argument that it
> doesn't make a derived work of abcl, and therefore it's not covered by
> the GPL.
> 
> On the other hand, if your lisp code uses ABCL specific features, then
> it will probably constitute a derived work of ABCL, and will be covered
> by the GPL.

By analogy, if I use a GCC specific feature to compile a closed-source,
commercial product, I have to release that product under the GPL?  That is a
surprising conclusion to me. 

I think we need a lawyer…

-- 
"A screaming comes across the sky.  It has happened before but there is nothing 
to compare to it now."