[License-discuss] GPL and proprietary WebAPIs

[John Cowan]

Chris Travers scripsit:

> Now, if linking implies derivation, then isn't the software (and by
> extension *all* Windows software) derivative of Windows?  If that's the
> case then doesn't every developer of Windows software need Microsoft's
> permission to distribute such software?  I don't think so.

I do think so, but in fact such permission is forthcoming.  Microsoft
grants explicit permission to use its SDKs to construct software that
is intended to run on Windows.  If it happens to run on non-Windows
systems such as ReactOS or Wine, that is not the developer's fault.
In this case of NDISwrapper, the Windows drivers that it wraps are
licensed to run on the hardware they are being used on, since almost
every PC is licensed to run Windows whether it actually does so or not.

IANAL, TINLA.

-- 
John Cowan            http://www.ccil.org/~cowan     cowan at ccil.org
                if if = then then then = else else else = if;