Re: Please don't refer to Emacs as "open source"

[PJ Weisberg]

On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 8:33 AM, Lennart Borgman
<address@hidden> wrote:
> On Fri, Jun 17, 2011 at 12:16, Jambunathan K <address@hidden> wrote:
>>
>> I seek clarification on "right to redistribute" against "contractual
>> obligation to redistribute modified source".
>
> When you modify GPL software:
>
> 1)  If you just use it "in house" (inside your company) you do not
> have to distribute the the modifications. (But it is of course nice if
> you make them available.)
>
> 2)  If you let someone else use the modified software you have to distribute 
> it.

No, if you let someone else use the modified software, you have to
*let them* distribute it.  If they want to.  You also have to provide
them with the modified source code.

Copyright law never *requires* you to make copies of anything.

> Maybe there is a "gray zone" for GPL software used on a web server?

This is what the Affero GPL was meant to address.

-PJ