copyright holder and the GNU GPL?

[Corey_G]

I have read the GNU GPL several times and I have a question hopefully
someone can answer. Does the copyright holder (the entity that
originally release the code under the GPL) also have to abide by it?
Or do they have different rights?

Say a copyright holder releases code under the GPL... and then he
released a different work based on that GPL'ed codebase.. Can he
release this WITHOUT source? or is this the same as if any other
person tried to do this.

any clarification is appreciated.

[LJ]

Corey_G wrote: I have read the GNU GPL several times and I have a question hopefully someone can answer. Does the copyright holder (the entity that originally release the code under the GPL) also have to abide by it? Or do they have different rights? Say a copyright holder releases code under the GPL... and then he released a different work based on that GPL'ed codebase.. Can he release this WITHOUT source? or is this the same as if any other person tried to do this.

IANAL, but I think the answer is yes. The author's right to use the
code is not derived from the license.

--Mike Amling

[Asko Saura]

Michael Amling <nospam@nospam.com> wrote: Corey_G wrote: I have read the GNU GPL several times and I have a question hopefully someone can answer. Does the copyright holder (the entity that originally release the code under the GPL) also have to abide by it? Or do they have different rights? Say a copyright holder releases code under the GPL... and then he released a different work based on that GPL'ed codebase.. Can he release this WITHOUT source? or is this the same as if any other person tried to do this.
IANAL, but I think the answer is yes. The author's right to use the code is not derived from the license.

I concur. Check out how mysql does it:
http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing.html

IANAL.
--
Mä oon matkalla sinne missä
-as@iki.fi - http://iki.fi/as/

[boffy_b]

Asko Saura wrote: Michael Amling <nospam@nospam.com> wrote:Corey_G wrote:I have read the GNU GPL several times and I have a question hopefullysomeone can answer. Does the copyright holder (the entity thatoriginally release the code under the GPL) also have to abide by it?Or do they have different rights?Say a copyright holder releases code under the GPL... and then hereleased a different work based on that GPL'ed codebase.. Can herelease this WITHOUT source? or is this the same as if any otherperson tried to do this. IANAL, but I think the answer is yes. The author's right to use thecode is not derived from the license. I concur. Check out how mysql does it: http://www.mysql.com/products/licensing.html IANAL.

....and OpenOpenOffice.org, and Qt, and Quake...
Lots of GPL'd commercial products are dual or multi licensed

http://www.openoffice.org/license.html
http://www.trolltech.com/products/licensing.html
http://www.idsoftware.com/business/home/technology/techlicense.php
--
\//_
C ._)
| _| - "It is amazing what you can
| | accomplish if you do not
care who gets the credit." - Anon

[Paul DeGroot]

I believe that this is in fact how some organizations work. I don't
remember the particular product (MySQL?), but their business model
involves letting people use one version of the product (betas?) under
the GPL, but production versions are proprietary. Or maybe it's the
other way around (I don't see the advantage of the former model. Even MS
betas are free.)

but it seems reasonable to me that the copyright holder should be able
to create a proprietary version for sale. However, let me suggest a very
important caveat--they lose some of the advantages of the GPL this way:
if a third party improves their GPL source code, the original copyright
owner may be unable, legally, to incorporate that improvement into their
proprietary code because, under the GPL, they must make all improvements
contributed by others under the GPL available under the GPL.

It's tricky.

Paul DeGroot
Licensing Analyst
Directions on Microsoft
Independent Research on Microsoft Strategies and Directions
www.directionsonmicrosoft.com

Corey_G wrote: I have read the GNU GPL several times and I have a question hopefully someone can answer. Does the copyright holder (the entity that originally release the code under the GPL) also have to abide by it? Or do they have different rights? Say a copyright holder releases code under the GPL... and then he released a different work based on that GPL'ed codebase.. Can he release this WITHOUT source? or is this the same as if any other person tried to do this. any clarification is appreciated.