Re: Matlab compiled mex files in octave

[Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso]

On 20 February 2013 11:46, Francesco Potortì <address@hidden> wrote:
>>The nvidia binary blob isn't a grey area. It's a clear GPL violation.
>>The Linux hackers just choose to not enforce their copyright here
>>either.
>
> I have read different statements on this issue.  Specifically, if I am
> not wrong, I once read Linus Torvalds' reasoning why this is not a
> copyright violation, which seemed sound to me.  Something like: it is
> not obvious that using the internal of a program is a derivation, so it
> is up to the author decide, and I decide that it is not, so this is my
> inpterpretation of the licence, and since I am the author this is the
> only one that counts.
>
> If someone have references to this I would be interested.

I only have personal emails from rms who claims that this is a GPL
violation and he acknowledges, as you point out above, that the Linux
developers decide to not enforce their copyright.

His own interpretation isn't the only one that counts in case he
decides to enforce the GPL here. A court is likely to also favour
rms's interpretation as the author of the license. But if Linus
doesn't want to enforce the GPL for Linux, nobody can force him to.
Other copyright owners of Linux could want to do so, but it appears
nobody has wanted to.

- Jordi G. H.