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Generally speaking, GPL can't be enforced by users due to selftermination clause. And when GPL terminates itself, you can't enforce it. For user enforcement we
by GoblinSlayer 5y ago
Generally speaking, GPL can't be enforced by users due to selftermination clause. And when GPL terminates itself, you can't enforce it. For user enforcement we need a license that doesn't terminate itself.
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8. Termination.
You may not propagate or modify a covered work except as expressly
provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to propagate or
modify it is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under
this License (including any patent licenses granted under the third
paragraph of section 11).
- LukeShu 5y agoNote that for quite a while Conservancy has (and more recently[1] many other copyright holders have) publicly documented that they extend GPLv3's cure provision to their otherwise-GPLv2-licensed code. There are kernel copyright holders who have not consented to this and when you violate the GPL your license to the parts of the code that they own is terminated per the vanilla GPLv2. But the copyrights which Conservancy represents have the cure provision. [1]: discussion at the time: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16628301 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16628301 (2018)
- chillfox 5y agoI guess the interesting thing here is if they are willing to use that as an argument. "You can't sue us because we don't have a license!" I imagine that would make a following case by the actual copyright holders really easy to win.
- wizzwizz4 5y agoUnless it was the actual copyright holders who raised the original case, in which case I think double jeopardy applies.