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Subject: Re: License of code in utils/MTP/

Re: License of code in utils/MTP/

From: Rafaël Carré <rafael.carre_at_gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 14:20:42 +0100

On Fri, Jan 09, 2009, Dave Chapman wrote:
> The Linux version is straightforward - it's based on libMTP (LGPL'd),
> and sendfile.c is GPL'd (written by mcuelenaere/nicolasp, based on a
> libMTP example program).
>
> However, the Windows program seems to be a bit of a minefield.
>
> The main program is sendfirm_win.c, and this was written by mcuelenaere
> and has a GPL license header.
>
> However, this code is trivial, and all the hard work is done by an
> included dll - MTP_DLL.dll. The source of this is in utils/MTP/MTP_DLL/
>
> This DLL can only be compiled with MSVC, and if I am understanding the
> source correctly, comes from two places:
>
> 1) http://opensource.creative.com/mtp_xfer.html - I can't find any (C)
> or license information relating to that code.
>
> 2) The "mssachlp.lib" file from the "Windows Media Device Manager 10
> SDK" from Microsoft.
>
> This makes the licensing of MTP_DLL.dll very unclear, and it seems to me
> that the Windows version of sendfirm can't be released under the GPL, as
> it currently claims.
>
> My initial concern was the mssachlp.lib library from MS - my
> understanding is that linking to such a library is incompatible with the
> GPL.

If sendfirm_win.c is redistributed with the LGPL, it can be linked with
any proprietary library, no ?

That's the easiest solution I think, since libmtp doesn't seem to run on
windows.

Songbird uses libmtp on linux & macosx, and the MS library on windows.
See http://getsatisfaction.com/songbird/topics/cant_songbird_use_libmtp_or_something_similar_to_provide_cross_platform_mtp_support

-- 
Rafaël Carré
Received on 2009-01-09

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