Hi Rajesh, I am not a lawyer. Just telling you what I know. Assuming you have written all of software X.1 you can relicense X.1 as anything you want. But people who got X.1 will forever be under GPL. If you want to make X.5 proprietary, assuming that you wrote all the code for X.5 you are very much free to do so. You can change the license from GPL->NonGPL if you own all the software. Also X.1 will always be under GPL, you cannot take that back.
-Krishna BTW: Since you are taking community help in a bussiness decision, I request you to donate Rs. 500 (or atleast Rs. 100) to FSF India. If you have more questions feel free to email me.
Rajesh Prakasam rprakasam@velankani.com wrote: Hi List,
I am an Free Software Evangelist. I have a query which needs some clarification. Here goes the situation. --------- I have software X.1 which is GPL. I find it pretty useful and use it in the development of Software A, by way of just using the binary of software X.1. When I commercially release software A, I also release Software X.1 along with its GPL, but my Software A isn't GPL....meaning anything NON-GPL. In this circumstance, suppose Software X, from version X.5 decides to go NON-GPL, what are the implications that I have for Software X.1 that I already bundle with Software A.
There are a couple of questions.
a) Can this situation of a GPL software moving towards a non-GPL license over the time happen...??? b) Does the older GPL version X.1 also get affected by changes to version X.5...(rephrasing it )...Is a version of a software GPL released, GPL for ever or is it subject to change? ---------
I have been using Free Software mostly on personal basis, but now faced with a business decision to make, hence consulting the authority...:-)
Thanks, Rajesh
=====================================Misinterpreting Copyright by Richard Stallmangnu.org/philosophy/misinterpreting-copyright.html"Die Gedanken Sind Frei": Free Software and the Struggle for Free Thought by Eben Moglenhttp://emoglen.law.columbia.edu/publications/berlin-keynote.html.
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