Re: GPLv3 question regarding server applications

[Ciaran O'Riordan]

Hi Bruce,

Below are my thoughts, but I can't be sure I've understood the situation,
and I'm no lawyer anyway.

"Bruce C. Miller" <bm3719@gmail.com> writes:
> Say you take a project that is a server application, which is released
> under the GPLv3, make some modifications to it and then make it
> available on the internet for anyone to connect to.

Under GPLv3, you would not have to make your modified source code available.
What section of GPLv3 makes you think you would be required to make source
available?  (you might be right, I might have misunderstood the situation.)

Under the Affero GPLv3 (another licence published by FSF), *if* the original
software included functionality to allow web users to download the source
code, then yes, you would be required to keep that functionality working.

> This server
> doesn't have a client component to it, so, it's similar to a web
> application or something like that.
>
> If you were to rebrand your modified version as a new product

Rebranding would not affect your obligations.  Whether or not a client
component exists probably also won't affect your obligations.


-- 
Ciarán O'Riordan, +32 477 36 44 19, http://ciaran.compsoc.com/

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