[Haskell-cafe] LGPL libraries

[Ketil Malde]

Kirsten Chevalier wrote:
> I am not a lawyer, but there are a couple of important points getting
> missed in this thread:
[...]
> "That's just silly" isn't a defense.
>   
[...]
> and thus "trust me, we're not going to sue you" isn't the answer they're
> looking for, even if it's a completely accurate answer.
I'm not a lawyer either, but I've discussed this a bit with one.  Since 
the GPL is a voluntary licensing with no renumeration, the intent of the 
licensor will be given a lot more weight than in a negotiated agreement 
between two (more or less equal) parties.  I think a clear statement 
from the author that linking statically is allowed in his interpretation 
of the license will be sufficient, even if it's not obvious from the 
licencing text. FSF or other third parties opinions should be 
irrelevant.  So actually asking and getting the author's opinion is 
probably a good idea.

This is according to Norwegian law, but I think such a statement will in 
any jurisdiction make it clear that you were acting in good faith. (Just 
make sure you have a contingency plan for when Duncan asks you to cease 
and desist :-)

(And of course there's nothing to prevent you from being met at the 
airport the next time you travel to country with different copyright law 
enforcement.  Also, there are other copyright holders to this particular 
code who may want to have their say in the matter.)

-k