Effect of the MySQL FLOSS License Exception?

[jcowan at reutershealth.com]

Chuck Swiger scripsit:

> Agreed.  For example, Apple has taken the GNU chess program and added a 
> different graphic front-end to make the Chess application run without 
> using X11 under MacOS X.  Are Apple's changes to GNU chess original 
> enough to qualify as a derivative work?
> 
> I think John is correct: probably not.

I don't know anything about that particular example: whether it is trivial
would depend on the structure of GNU Chess, about which I know nothing.
But it might fall under the special exception that permits making derivative
works of software for the purpose of getting them to run on your computer.
Presumably this can be done by a third party, Apple in this case, as well
as by the owner of the computer.

> But if you look at the ~100 files which comprise an apache-1.3.xx 
> distribution (to pick a project for the sake of example), there are 
> strong connections between these files in terms of header file 
> dependencies, the presence of a unified build environment resulting 
> from GNU autoconf and the resulting Makefiles, etc.

If you examine the short stories in a theme anthology, there may be
strong connections between them too (and the stronger the connection,
the stronger the copyright available on the collective work as such).
But a theme anthology is still a collective work, just as much as a
CD full of shovelware is.

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