Re: [Bluez-users] Linking to BlueZ from non-GPL code

[Marcel Holtmann <marcel@holtmann.org>]

Hi Trevor,

> I have a question about linking non-GPL code to BlueZ.  This is
> very much along the lines of the previous conversation at 
> http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.bluez.devel/2444 -- the quick
> summary of which is: 
>  
> Marcel: Date: 2004-06-28 14:48:48 GMT: "For the BlueZ library and the
> utilities we can talk about it. Some time ago people asked for a LGPL
> version of the library and actually I tend to agree with that. However
> this can't be decided by me alone, because part of the code is copyright
> by Qualcomm and also by Maxim Krasnyansky himself. For the utilities I
> don't see any need for a different license. I believe in the GPL and
> from my view releasing the Linux Bluetooth library under LGPL is the
> only step I wanna make forward to allow closed source products based on
> BlueZ."
> 
> Is this still the current status of GPL/LGPL for the BlueZ libraries
> (libbluetooth.so) -- or has there been an update (I haven't found
> anything more recent on the mailing list about this).

nothing has changed at the moment. Ask Max for an update of changing the
BlueZ library from GPL to LGPL.

> What is the recommended way to write a non-GPL application on top of
> BlueZ, or is this not currently allowed...? My understanding is that it
> is OK to use the linux kernel syscall interface from non-GPL code, but
> that this would not extend to libbluetooth.so...

Actually I disagree with the non-GPL use of the syscall interface, but I
am not lawyer. From my understanding all the bluetooth/*.h include files
are GPL and you need them for your application. You can't replace them
without ending up in derived work.

Regards

Marcel




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