[vlc-devel] Re: Help wanted for small (?) VLC development job

[Adam Luker]

[I _am_ subscribed, incidentally. :)]

>Secondly, I assume that the GPL can only apply to derivative 
>work
 ...
>We do already have several plugins loading external non-free libraries: 
>Quicktime, DirectMedia Object (not counting that VLC runs on many 
>non-GPL C runtimes).
 ...
>I am not a lawyer, but I presume that non-free codecs are actually not 
>subject to the GPL if they do not depend on VLC themselves and are 
>dynamic linked through a GPL'd "glue" VLC plugin.

Yes, I looked at the existing codec modules (particularly the Quicktime
module) AND reviewed the GPL closely before sending out my request for help.
I am confident that since the closed-source codec in question is a
stand-alone, non-VLC-derived library, it does not fall under the
"must-be-GPL-also" sections of the GPL.  (IANAL either, but my
step-second-cousin-in-law used to date one.)