[vlc-devel] STOP! Think. Act... (was Re: Formal complaint -censorship)

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Le mercredi 27 octobre 2010 20:02:49 Juho Vähä-Herttua, vous avez écrit :
> I'd like to note that GPL is not really an EULA, because it only covers
> redistribution and not end use.

It's a bit more complicated. GPL does cover software usage if indirectly. It 
covers usage because it forbids distributors from restricting usage, thus 
allowing all usage - within the boundaries of local laws. Furthermore, as far 
as it clearly restricts copying and modifying the software, it does still 
restrict what the user can do with the software.

However, the GPL is not an *agreement*, it's only a *license* granted by the 
copyright holder(s) to recipients of the copyrighted material. In other words, 
there is nothing for the user to agree or disagree with: the license allows 
him/her to use the copyrighted material in certain ways.

> Therefore the Apple EULA applies for the
> current VLC binary and it seems to conflict with GPL since it also
> involves restrictions on distribution.

It's not that simple anymore. It seems Apple changed the terms so that third 
parties could use a different license. Laws and contracts are up for 
interpretation. And the intent can play an important role in interpretation, 
even if actual wording may be inaccurrate.

That would be consistent with Apple not having removed VLC from their store 
about 48 hours after they acknowledged my copyright notification.

-- 
Rémi Denis-Courmont
http://www.remlab.net/
http://fi.linkedin.com/in/remidenis