Skip to main content
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index] [List Home]
Re: [science-iwg] About java-python integration 
Dear all,

On Friday 2016-06-10 17:07, Christopher Brooks wrote:
The GPLv3 license is a problem because in my narrow reading of the license, aggregation of GPLv3 libraries makes the entire product GPLv3. GPLv3 is not compatible with the EPL.
DISCLAIMER: none of what I have written here should be taken as legal advice or considered authoritative, without confirmation from a comptent legal authority.
I have investigated this issue in the past, and even contacted the FSF for clarification. As Christopher says, the GPLv3 (and GPLv2 too) are incompatible with the EPL. My understanding is that creating an Eclipse plug-in that contains GPL-licenced code puts the resulting combined work into a kind of "licence limbo", in which its licencing state is indeterminate. 


Personally, I stay away from GPLv3 for anything that I ever intend to release.
For anything that is combined with the EPL you mean? That is wise, IMHO. Same for GPLv2. 


For details: https://eclipse.org/legal/eplfaq.php#GPLCOMPATIBLE
The situtation from the FSF side is explained here: <http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/using-the-gpl-for-eclipse-plug-ins>, in particular:
If you try to release a piece of software with code under both these licenses, you will end up violating one license or the other.
If you either own the code, or the code's author would consider modifying their licencing terms, possible solutions include: 

  * dual-licencing
  * licencing under the LGPL instead
  * licencing with a modified GPL as described here: <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLIncompatibleLibs>
Otherwise, I agree with Christopher: keep code licenced under an unmodified GPL out of anything Eclipse-related at all costs..... 

Regards,
Peter.
*Are the Eclipse Public License (EPL) and the General Public License (GPL) compatible? * The EPL and the GPL are not compatible in any combination where the result would be considered either: (a) a "derivative work" (which Eclipse interprets consistent with the definition of that term in the U.S. Copyright Act ) or (b) a work "based on" the GPL code, as that phrase is used in the GPLv2 <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html>, GPLv3 <http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl.html> or the GPL FAQ <http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/gpl-faq.html> as applicable. Further, you may not combine EPL and GPL code in any scenario where source code under those licenses are both the same source code module.
Based upon the position <http://www.fsf.org/licensing/licenses/> of the Free Software Foundation, you may not combine EPL and GPL code in any scenario where linking exists between code made available under those licenses. The above applies to both GPL version 2 and GPL version 3. 

_Christopher


On 6/10/16 8:33 AM, Michele Gabusi wrote:

Hi,
recently I was looking around for a handy solution to setup bidirectional communication between Java and Python. I know that this is not a trivial issue. However, looking at the past EclipseCon presentations, I noticed that jpy libraries (licensed under GPL3) have not been mentioned. 

http://jpy.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html
https://pypi.python.org/pypi/jpy/

Do you know any reason that might discourage to implement them?
Do anyone has any experience with these libraries?

Cheers,

Michele.


_______________________________________________
science-iwg mailing list
science-iwg@xxxxxxxxxxx
To change your delivery options, retrieve your password, or unsubscribe from this list, visit 
https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/science-iwg





--
Peter Keller                                     Tel.: +44 (0)1223 353033
Global Phasing Ltd.,                             Fax.: +44 (0)1223 366889
Sheraton House,
Castle Park,
Cambridge CB3 0AX
United Kingdom

Back to the top