[License-discuss] License incompatibility (was Re: Open source license chooser choosealicense.com) launched.

[John Cowan]

Al Foxone scripsit:

> I doubt that "Red Hat’s own End User License Agreement" is
> 'compatible' (according to you) with the GPL'd components in that
> combined work as whole. Anyway, that combined work as a whole must be
> full of proclaimed 'incompatibly' licensed components (once again
> according to you). How come that this is possible?

See GPLv2 section 2, the penultimate paragraph:

# [M]ere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the
# Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage
# or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the scope
# of this License.

The corresponding paragraph of the GPLv3 is the final one of Section 5:

# A compilation of a covered work with other separate and independent
# works, which are not by their nature extensions of the covered work,
# and which are not combined with it such as to form a larger program,
# in or on a volume of a storage or distribution medium, is called an
# “aggregate” if the compilation and its resulting copyright are not
# used to limit the access or legal rights of the compilation's users
# beyond what the individual works permit. Inclusion of a covered work
# in an aggregate does not cause this License to apply to the other
# parts of the aggregate.

-- 
John Cowan                                cowan at ccil.org
I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen,    http://www.ccil.org/~cowan
han mathon ne chae, a han noston ne 'wilith.  --Galadriel, LOTR:FOTR