kicad-developers team mailing list archive

[Dick Hollenbeck <dick@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 01/29/2013 03:21 PM, Alex G. wrote:
> On 01/29/2013 02:22 PM, Wayne Stambaugh wrote:
>> I would like to add DWG support to
>> KiCad.  It's something that I need at work.  But given this situation,
>> that is probably not going to happen without writing our own DWG
>> library.
> Huh? I thought Kicad is GPLv2+, which should link OK with GPLv3 code.


GPLv3 wants to annex [1] code it is linked with, as does GPLv2.  GPLv3 is more restrictive
than GPLv2 with regard to things like use of encryption.

If it is more restrictive, and the owners of the GPLv2 code do not collectively want to
change the terms of their license to GPLv3, then you have the incompatibility:

It cannot be done without violating the GPLv3 license. 

I you want my guess, there is no violation of the GPLv2 license, only the GPLv3, since it
is more restrictive.  But don't bet your inheritance on my guess.


[1] in this sense "annex" only means being licensed under terms at least as restrictive as
the annexing license, yet still owned by different owners.