[sane-devel] Providing the version of SANE used in VueScan

[m. allan noah]

On Fri, Jan 23, 2009 at 7:52 PM, Alessandro Zummo
<azummo-lists at towertech.it> wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:17:44 +0100
> jyqvklioo at googlemail.com wrote:
>
>> Please, make the source code of SANE you use in your product available, as you are obliged by the licensing terms of SANE.
>
>  Are we sure that the SANE exception doesn't allow Ed to include
>  it in his program?
>
>  "The exception is that, if you link a SANE library with other files
>   to produce an executable, this does not by itself cause the
>   resulting executable to be covered by the GNU General Public
>   License.  Your use of that executable is in no way restricted on
>   account of linking the SANE library code into it."

The exception is somewhat ambiguous, but this clause at its most
liberal interpretation only removes the viral nature of the GPL. This
means Ed _might_ (IANAL) be able to keep his code secret, but the
parts of SANE that he stole, and any modifications he made to them are
_still_ covered under the GPL, and he _must_ divulge them when asked.
The OP did not ask for Vuescan's source, but "make the source code of
SANE you use in your product available", so a perfectly legitimate
request.

allan
-- 
"The truth is an offense, but not a sin"