<html>
<head>
<meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"
http-equiv="Content-Type">
</head>
<body text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<div style="" data-md-original="I think some of you are
misunderstanding what the GPL is about. It's about
licensing what you're allowed to do with the code, not about
licensing what happens when you actually run the code.
Here's a quick theme for
you:<br><br>`style.css`:<br><br>
/*<br> Theme Name:
Test<br> License: GPL
v2+<br>
*/<br><br>`index.php`:<br><br>
<?php wp_die( 'Your site broke!' );
?><br><br>That would restrict a user's ability
to use WordPress, but I licensed it under the GPL.
Therefore, it does not restrict the user's ability to use, copy,
modify, or distribute the code.<br><br>When we talk
about the ability to "use" the code, it's not about
whether the code works in a certain way for whatever
application. You have the ability to use it (the code)
how you see fit with no added restrictions.
<br><br>Just to make things a little clearer, make
sure you understand this particular line from the
[GPL](http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html):<br><br>>
"Activities other than copying, distribution and modification
are not covered by this License; they are outside its
scope."<br><br>Is Pagelines placing any
additional restrictions on those items listed from the
GPL?<br><br>The only things I'm concerned with were
stated in my previous email about policy on blocking features
within a theme that WordPress.org
hosts.<br><br><div
class="moz-cite-prefix">On 9/20/2013 4:01 PM, Ünsal
Korkmaz wrote:<br></div><blockquote
cite="mid:CABZBZDse1fQRzWTiF3ZLpyfCmF2NP5+5y30G+uPEr67ommkokg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite"><div dir="ltr">I am not
expert on GPL but if i cant use a code in WordPress Multisite
because of a license or code restriction (not talking about
multisite compatible), its not GPL in my eyes.. even author can
say its gpl code.. <div>
<br></div><div><strong
style="color:rgb(53,56,42);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px">preserve,
protect and promote the freedom to use, study, copy, modify, and
redistribute computer software, and to defend the rights of Free
Software users. </strong><span
style="color:rgb(53,56,42);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px">from </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.gnu.org/">http://www.gnu.org/</a><br>
</div><div><br></div><div>And
yes, we cant use this theme/plugin/whatever in multisite if not
developer licensed: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.pagelines.com/pricing/">http://www.pagelines.com/pricing/</a></div><div><strong
style="color:rgb(53,56,42);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px"><br>
</strong></div></div><div
class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div
class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 11:49 PM,
Otto <span dir="ltr"><<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:otto@ottodestruct.com"
target="_blank">otto@ottodestruct.com</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0
0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc
solid;padding-left:1ex"><div class="im">On
Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 3:38 PM, Trent Lapinski <<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:trent@cyberchimps.com">trent@cyberchimps.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
>> If the copyright holder says that the terms are
GPL, then the terms<br>
>> are GPL. Period. No magic coding trickery can
make it "incompatible"<br>
>> with those terms.<br>
><br>
</div><div class="im">> Just because
you claim something is GPL does not make it true.<br>
<br>
</div>If you are the copyright holder, because you *wrote
the damn thing*,<br>
then it absolutely does make it true. Every single time, without
fail.<br>
<br>
Only the copyright holder has the power to license the work.
That's<br>
the whole point of copyright.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
> There are plenty of people who release code under the GPL
and violate the terms, and there have been several lawsuits on
this matter. <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html"
target="_blank">http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-violation.html</a><br>
><br>
>
The GPL is not the same as copyright, there is no inherent law
granting you the right. If you release something under the GPL
that is not GPL compatible, it is a GPL violation and you lose the
privilege to claim your code is GPL compatible.<br>
<br>
</div>This is so wrong that I honestly don't know where to
start.<br>
<br>
Time for quick copyright school lessons:<br>
- The creator of a work gets the copyright to that work. This
gives<br>
them all the rights to it. Nobody else has any rights to it at
all.<br>
- The copyright holder can give those rights to others. They can
do it<br>
freely, or make it subject to conditions. The conditions are
called<br>
the "license".<br>
- The GPL is a license like any other. It is the contract by which
the<br>
copyright holder gives you, the person with no rights, the ability
to<br>
exercise those rights from the copyright holder.<br>
- The copyright holder cannot violate their own license. The
very<br>
notion of this fundamentally misunderstands how licenses work.
The<br>
license applies to you and everybody else. Not to them.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
> If you look at the violations page, one of the questions
to determine if there is a violation is: "Is the available
source code complete, or is it designed for linking in other
non-free modules?"<br>
><br>
> This is exactly what we're discussing.<br>
<br>
</div>Violations can only occur to licensees. Not to the
licensor.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
<br>
> PageLines is releasing a supposedly GPL compatible theme
linking to a plugin that forces users to pay a subscription
validated through the use of a priority API to use supposedly GPL
compatible code. This is a violation of the GPL and renders both
the theme and plugin as non-compatible with the GPL, and WPORG
policy.<br>
<br>
</div>This has no bearing on the GPL in any way whatsoever.
The theme/plugin<br>
are licensed under the GPL because *their author says so*. That's
the<br>
end of it, really.<br>
<br>
Whether it violates policy or not is a fair debate. I say it does
not.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
> When it comes to policy on .org, the question is do we
allow themes or plugins to upsell priority non-GPL themes and
plugins? The answer as I understood it was a resounding no. You
yourself said this is not allowed, so I'm not sure why you're
claiming this situation is different then what it is.<br>
<br>
</div>The issue isn't about "non-GPL". If they say
it's GPL, then I accept<br>
that, and it's GPL. Done.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
>> Now, the review requirements go far beyond GPL,
and that's fair<br>
>> enough. But there is no real case where you would
ever need to "modify<br>
>> a pro theme heavily" to be GPL-Compatible.
Whoever told you that this<br>
>> was the reason was mistaken.<br>
><br>
> Actually they weren't wrong. This has been WPORG policy
for over 3 years now as Chip mentioned.<br>
<br>
</div>If the theme review team has been incorrectly
interpreting the GPL and<br>
using it in a mistaken way, then I'm very saddened by that, and
I<br>
offer my assistance to correct and educate the team in any way
that I<br>
can.<br>
<div class="HOEnZb"><div
class="h5"><br>
-Otto<br>
_______________________________________________<br>
theme-reviewers mailing list<br>
<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:theme-reviewers@lists.wordpress.org">theme-reviewers@lists.wordpress.org</a><br>
<a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers"
target="_blank">http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers</a><br>
</div></div></blockquote></div><br></div>
<br><fieldset
class="mimeAttachmentHeader"></fieldset><br><pre
wrap="">_______________________________________________
theme-reviewers
mailing list
theme-reviewers@lists.wordpress.org
http://lists.wordpress.org/mailman/listinfo/theme-reviewers
</pre>
</blockquote><br>" class="markdown-here-wrapper"
id="markdown-here-wrapper-89391">
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">I think some of you are
misunderstanding what the GPL is about. It‘s about licensing
what you’re allowed to do with the code, not about licensing
what happens when you actually run the code. Here's a quick
theme for you:</p>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;"><code style="font-size:
0.85em; font-family:
Consolas,Inconsolata,Courier,monospace;margin: 0px 0.15em;
padding: 0px 0.3em; white-space: pre-wrap; border: 1px solid
rgb(234, 234, 234); background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);
border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; display: inline;">style.css</code>:</p>
<pre style="font-size: 0.85em; font-family: Consolas,Inconsolata,Courier,monospace;font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2em;margin: 1.2em 0px;"><code style="font-size: 0.85em; font-family: Consolas,Inconsolata,Courier,monospace;margin: 0px 0.15em; padding: 0px 0.3em; white-space: pre-wrap; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248); border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; display: inline;white-space: pre; overflow: auto; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0.5em 0.7em;display: block; padding: 0.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(248, 248, 255);">/*
Theme Name: Test
License: GPL v2+
*/</code></pre>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;"><code style="font-size:
0.85em; font-family:
Consolas,Inconsolata,Courier,monospace;margin: 0px 0.15em;
padding: 0px 0.3em; white-space: pre-wrap; border: 1px solid
rgb(234, 234, 234); background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248);
border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; display: inline;">index.php</code>:</p>
<pre style="font-size: 0.85em; font-family: Consolas,Inconsolata,Courier,monospace;font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.2em;margin: 1.2em 0px;"><code style="font-size: 0.85em; font-family: Consolas,Inconsolata,Courier,monospace;margin: 0px 0.15em; padding: 0px 0.3em; white-space: pre-wrap; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 234, 234); background-color: rgb(248, 248, 248); border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; display: inline;white-space: pre; overflow: auto; border-radius: 3px 3px 3px 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding: 0.5em 0.7em;display: block; padding: 0.5em; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(248, 248, 255);"><?php wp_die( 'Your site broke!' ); ?></code></pre>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">That would restrict a
user‘s ability to use WordPress, but I licensed it under the
GPL. Therefore, it does not restrict the user’s ability to use,
copy, modify, or distribute the code.</p>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">When we talk about the
ability to “use” the code, it's not about whether the code works
in a certain way for whatever application. You have the ability
to use it (the code) how you see fit with no added restrictions.
</p>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">Just to make things a
little clearer, make sure you understand this particular line
from the <a href="http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html">GPL</a>:</p>
<blockquote style="margin: 1.2em 0px;border-left: 4px solid
rgb(221, 221, 221); padding: 0px 1em; color: rgb(119, 119, 119);
quotes: none;">
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">“Activities other than
copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this
License; they are outside its scope.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">Is Pagelines placing any
additional restrictions on those items listed from the GPL?</p>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">The only things I'm
concerned with were stated in my previous email about policy on
blocking features within a theme that WordPress.org hosts.</p>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;">On 9/20/2013 4:01 PM,
Ünsal Korkmaz wrote:</p>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;"></p>
<div class="markdown-here-exclude">
<p></p>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CABZBZDse1fQRzWTiF3ZLpyfCmF2NP5+5y30G+uPEr67ommkokg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">I am not expert on GPL but if i cant use a code
in WordPress Multisite because of a license or code
restriction (not talking about multisite compatible), its
not GPL in my eyes.. even author can say its gpl code..
<div>
<br>
</div>
<div><strong
style="color:rgb(53,56,42);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px">preserve,
protect and promote the freedom to use, study, copy,
modify, and redistribute computer software, and to
defend the rights of Free Software users. </strong><span
style="color:rgb(53,56,42);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px">from </span><a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.gnu.org/">http://www.gnu.org/</a><br>
</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>And yes, we cant use this theme/plugin/whatever in
multisite if not developer licensed: <a
moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://www.pagelines.com/pricing/">http://www.pagelines.com/pricing/</a></div>
<br>
</div>
</blockquote>
<p></p>
</div>
<p style="margin: 1.2em 0px ! important;"></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>