License in the Mac installer

[R Hayes]

On Feb 12, 2008, at 8:50 PM, Manuel M T Chakravarty wrote:

>
> * Whether you link statically or dynamically against a GPL'ed  
> library does not make any difference as far as your legal  
> obligations are concerned.  (This opinion is supported, eg, by the  
> following item in the FSF's licensing FAQ: <http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLPluginsInNF 
> >.)
>

This statement is something that the FSF would *like* to be true.  It  
is not clear that it *is* true.  In particular, if you dynamically  
link with a GPL library but NEVER distribute that library, you may not  
be obligated under the GPL.  The issue arises from the fact that the  
GPL gains its teeth when you distribute GPL code, not when you use  
it.  The advice I have received is that this is a gray area where the  
FSF would have to work exceptionally hard to win a suit.