[reportlab-users] Empy and GPL

[Jerome Alet]

On Wed, Oct 30, 2002 at 10:29:19AM +0100, Dinu Gherman wrote:
> 
> Ok, it's GPL, but so what? You don't have to distribute it yourself.
> You could equally well prompt the user during installation to click
> one more button to make her download it! Or is this already a vio-
> lation of the GPL? Jerome, maybe you know that?

It depends (as always).

If you use it as an external program (through os.system() for example)
then you can use a GPLed software from a proprietary software.

If you "link" to it, which in Python means if you import it in a
proprietary program, then this is a violation of the GPL if you
distribute YOUR proprietary program, even if you don't distribute
the GPLed one. Of course you can do that with no problem if your
proprietary program is not distributed, but only used in your own
office (company).

If your program is not proprietary, and its license is GPL compatible,
(e.g. the ReportLab toolkit), then you can import it and distribute
with no problem.

hth

Jerome Alet