On Thursday 07 September 2006 11:47 am, Nachiketa Sadhu wrote:
So that will mean that after the GPL is revoked, you can not use the software ?
yes - you cannot
Sorry to barge in. I reread the GPL V2 again, but could not understand how a GPL V2 license can be revoked? Once the software is released it is out of the hands of the releaser. Can some one please point out the clause under which a license can be revoked (unless the license clause is violated).
Copyright law (on whose foundations the gpl derives it's legal standing) allows for revocation of any rights granted by the orginal copyright holder. Hence the holder can revoke the rights granted by the gpl (or any other right so granted under the provisions of coyright).
Of course It is not clear to me what happens with a new release.
Any release under a new licence by the orginal holder will be subject to the new licence terms. However the old code will continue to be gpld. And additions and modifications to the old code it will also have to be gpld. And the orignal author cannot use such gpld code in his new version released under a different licence. In practice too taking free software (BSD licence - it's not possible to close gpld code) and closing it, completely destroys usability and any advantage of closing eg IE using NCSA Mosiac, Win95, 98, using FBSD tcp stack.