[R] Making a new package: licence

[Jeff Newmiller]

On 07/08/2011 07:58 AM, Spencer Graves wrote:
> On 7/8/2011 4:26 AM, Federico Calboli wrote:
>> On 8 Jul 2011, at 12:06, Duncan Murdoch wrote:
>>
>>> On 11-07-08 6:20 AM, Federico Calboli wrote:
>>>> HI All,
>>>>
>>>> I have written and succesfully uploaded a new package. The licence it 
>>>> is under is 'GPL' --no version. My assumption is, since all the code is 
>>>> written in R the licence R used for R would affect the code (hence my 
>>>> "GPL" stands for "whatever version of the GPL R is under")
>>>>
>>>> I am happy with the licencing I used, but I'd like to ask if there is 
>>>> any transitive propery of IP licencing or if I am mistaken.
>>> I believe you are mistaken:  your package is your code, so the license 
>>> someone else used is irrelevant.  I would interpret 'GPL' to mean 
>>> 'whatever version of GPL the user finds to be convenient'.  So if GPL v1 
>>> (which I've never actually seen) or GPL v4 (which has not been released) 
>>> contained some right that I liked, I would assume that you've granted me 
>>> that right.
>> Ok, thanks for that. I though that, since R in under GPL-v2, I can only 
>> release my code under GPL-v2 because the code is written in R and 
>> probably qualifies as a derivative work.
>
>       Did you include someone else's GPL-vx code (possibly modified by 
> you) as part of your code in a way that someone could claim that your code 
> does NOT have a useful functionality and independent existence without 
> that?  I'm not an attorney, but I have read the GPL and discussed it with 
> attorneys, and it's my understanding that the definition of "derivative 
> work" encompasses essentially what I just described.  Another example:  
> According to the Wikipedia article on Linux, the (first) GPL was written 
> for the GNU Linux project.  In that context, you can NOT charge someone 
> for Linux nor for any modification of it you may make, because such 
> modifications would make it a derivative work.  However, if you can run 
> your own code written in whatever language under Linux, because presumably 
> your code has an existence independent of Linux and could theoretically 
> run (with modifications) on some other operating system.
>

GPL is not about compensation, it is about distribution and the rights and 
responsibilities ensuing.

>
>        Hope this helps.
>       Spencer
>
>>
>> On uploading the new version (a matter of days), I will specify the GPL 
>> version.
>>
>> Bw
>>
>> Federico
>>
>>
>>> Duncan Murdoch
>>>
>>>> bw
>>>>
>>>> Federico
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> Federico C. F. Calboli
>>>> Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
>>>> Imperial College, St. Mary's Campus
>>>> Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG
>>>>
>>>> Tel +44 (0)20 75941602   Fax +44 (0)20 75943193
>>>>
>>>> f.calboli [.a.t] imperial.ac.uk
>>>> f.calboli [.a.t] gmail.com
>>>>
>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>>>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>>>> PLEASE do read the posting guide 
>>>> http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>>>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>> -- 
>> Federico C. F. Calboli
>> Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
>> Imperial College, St. Mary's Campus
>> Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG
>>
>> Tel +44 (0)20 75941602   Fax +44 (0)20 75943193
>>
>> f.calboli [.a.t] imperial.ac.uk
>> f.calboli [.a.t] gmail.com
>>
>> ______________________________________________
>> R-help at r-project.org mailing list
>> https://stat.ethz.ch/mailman/listinfo/r-help
>> PLEASE do read the posting guide http://www.R-project.org/posting-guide.html
>> and provide commented, minimal, self-contained, reproducible code.
>
>