On 06/12/2012 02:44 PM, Konstantin Olchanski wrote:
> On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 10:11:23AM +0900, zxq9 wrote:
>> On 06/12/2012 03:49 AM, Yasha Karant wrote:
>>>
>>> Am I missing something here? I thought under the GPL as well as various
>>> other open source licenses, TUV was required to make available the full
>>> source from which the full non-encumbered distro could be built
>>
>
> That is correct.
>
> For GPL-licensed code, anybody who receives TUV binary RPMs
> is entitled to receive the corresponding SRPMs.
>
> Since TUV is not giving us their binary RPMs, the GPL does not require that
> they give us their SRPMs.
>
> In other words, as general public, if you have a TUV Linux CD in your pocket,
> the SRPMs should better be on it (and they are); if you do not have a TUV Linux CD,
> TUV owes you nothing. (Of course rules change if you are a Linux developer, etc).
>
> Code under other licenses is subject to other rules (RTFLs).
>
> (On this list, are we really required to say "TUV" instead of "***censored***",
> as if we were playing a 1984 double-speak live action game?)
>

As you understand the legal situation (presumably in the EU, USA, and UK 
Commonwealth -- as on a wider scale, e. g., PRC or DPRK, things could be 
considerably more complicated), if X licenses for fee TUV-EL N for some 
N and platform (e.g., X86-64), X is then allowed under the GPL to repost 
the source to those who have not licensed TUV-EL for fee?

Naturally, just as with SL and other similar distros (are we allowed to 
mention these or does the censorship apply?), all trademarks and other 
academic-style citations to the actual designated authors (often from 
TUV) and author affililations (e.g., TUV) must be retained in the source 
and any information that the source build commands do build, sans logos 
or other "artistic" intellectual property.

These might seem to be unimportant points to a technical list -- 
however, one activity common throughout the open systems software 
development and deployment fields (technical) is the (re)posting of 
(derivative/modified) source, and it useful to understand the 
constraints the various legal systems around the world impose upon such 
activities.  As an example, I routinely use such source in courses I 
teach so that students will see and understand actual artifacts that 
produce working instances, not just theoretical algorithms; I know from 
colleagues at many institutions that such practice is commonplace.