GNU license newbie question...

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Pierrou(Posted 2012) [#1]
Hello,

I have been working for a few months on a commercial project, using Blitzmax. I think it is about to be released soon...

It's a reading game, and I have been using a French database which is available on the web and contains a lot of words, which can be sorted in many different ways. So I've created a few lists of words using that big database, but the game isn't embedding the whole database at all, just small lists of very common words taken from it. I could have made those lists myself without using the database but it would have been much longer and more painful.

When I did so I unfortunately didn't bother reading the legal stuff... The database is released under the Gnu Public License and I'm beginning to wonder which parts of my game are supposed to be released under the same license (the text files? the whole game? nothing?)...

I hope some people used to those kind of licenses can help me doing things right without stealing from anyone...

Thanks in advance,


Yasha(Posted 2012) [#2]
The GPL is really meant for code, rather than this sort of thing...

1) How are you communicating with the database? Are you extracting the words at runtime or have you pre-built word list files of your own in advance?

2) How are you packaging those files with your application? IncBin, or leaving them off to one side?

If you've made your own word lists by interacting with the database in advance, and they aren't compiled into the main body of your program, it's probably not violating the GPL in any way (I can't see how it would even come into effect).

Depending on the nature of the database and what you're doing to it, the word lists might count as derivative works, or more likely they might just be output (?). If the latter, then there's already no problem. Assuming the former, because it's more dangerous, the word lists themselves might also be covered by the GPL, but as long as your program loads and reads them as files, the program isn't being "linked" to them, it's merely reading data files that happen to be GPL (in the same way that MS Visual Studio can compile GPL'd C code if you want).

I very much doubt that individual words taken from the word lists can be considered GPL, as they've probably been deconstructed past the point of copyright by then. (You can't copyright a single word.)

Your best option is definitely to contact the owner of the database, ask them why they thought GPL was a good choice, and how you're supposed to interact with the gathered data.

However, if you can't do that... there probably isn't a problem here.


D4NM4N(Posted 2012) [#3]
Basically:
GPL is better for -entire- programs you want to remain open source.
LGPL is better for programming libs (GPL libs are pretty much useless!)

If the database you use is GPL then it does not mean your app needs to be as the database is a "stand alone" program, as is it's output (eg. Gimp, MySQL's hybrid GPL, Blender, OO.Db, etc..etc..etc...)

The designated -output- (or access references if web based) of such a program is -not- GPL.

However if you are using code or libraries in your program to get the data out of the database that are GPL then you have a problem. If the code you use is LGPL then you do not have a problem as long as it is dynamically linked to your code (meaning as a separate entity like a .DLL or .O file)

Last edited 2012


Yasha(Posted 2012) [#4]
GPL libs are pretty much useless!


Actually, unless you can get a special exemption from the author, I'm pretty sure GPL libs are completely useless for BlitzMax projects because the GPL is fundamentally incompatible with the BSSCL, and therefore there's no legal way to distribute a binary (which would limit the use of your program to people who already have a BlitzMax compiler, which is rather few).

(I could be wrong on this point... in fact that might make a fine question to ask the FSF's licensing department.)

Last edited 2012


D4NM4N(Posted 2012) [#5]
yeah.. as i said pretty much (meaning pretty much completely) :D
Unless you are writing a GPL app that is ;P

With the exception of -using- fully complete products.. (like i describe above) i would not touch GPL interface code or libs with a bargepole.

However the OP should NOT be put off using it simply because the database itself carries a GPL licence and LGPL libs are fine to use with Blitzmax as long as the rules are followed.

Most GPL databases have a whole load of free and very permissive code interfaces. (otherwise -noone- would be using them!)

Last edited 2012


Pierrou(Posted 2012) [#6]
Hi again,

Quick and clever answers as usual, thanks very much!

I've tried to contact the authors (French scientists) through the database's forum a few weeks ago but got no answer.

What I've done is simply write (copy-paste and then rearrange in some ways) some .txt files made out of the database output (ex. I asked for 500 frequent words beginning with b without containing p, things like that, then I added articles, etc.).

Then the user can load those word lists as data in the game to read them, among many options.

The whole code I'm using was written by me alone and there is no interaction at all with the database. So I guess what I must do is mention the use of the database and thank its authors, but not change the license...

Thanks again,


D4NM4N(Posted 2012) [#7]
I think you are probably ok regarding software licences then. However, regarding copyright of the database's -content- may be a whole other deal. So you should certainly get written permission.

Last edited 2012