Tom Tobin wrote:
I'm thinking something along these lines:
The background situation: X is a library distributed under the GPL. Y is another library that uses that library and requires it in order to compile and function.
1) Is there any scenario where Y can be distributed under a non-GPL license (e.g., the BSD)?
2) If so, what would Y's author need to do (or *not* do)?
3) If Y must be released under the GPL under the above scenario, and someone subsequently wrote library Z, an API compatible replacement for X, and released it under the BSD license, would Y's author now be permitted to release Y under the BSD?
(Feel free to add more questions, and/or suggest tweaks.)
Based on the discussion so far, I think you need to distinguish between distributing source and distributing binaries. For example: Background: X is a library distributed under GPL. Y is another library which calls external functions in the API of X. Assume X and Y have different authors. 1. Can the author of Y legally distribute the *source* of Y under a non-GPL licence (BSD3, Modified BSD, etc), assuming such source is distributed without any binaries, and is distributed separately from X? 2. etc. Question 1 covers the situation at hand, and keeps the initial line of questioning simple and specific.