Re: [Gimp-developer] GIMP project's official statement on SourceForge's actions

[Jehan Pagès <jehan marmottard gmail com>]

Hi,

On Sun, Jun 7, 2015 at 7:38 PM, Simone Karin Lehmann <simone lisanet de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> please don’t get me wrong, I don’t like software bundled with adware, toolbars or anything like that.
>
> But...
>
>
> > An acceptable approach would be to provide a method for *any* project to
> > cease hosting at any SourceForge site if desired, including the ability to:
> >
> >
> > * completely remove the project and URLs permanently, and not allow any
> >  other projects to take its place
> >
> > * remove any hosted files from the service, and not maintain mirrors
> >  serving installers or files differing from those provided by the
> >  project or wrap those in any way
> >
> > * provide permanent HTTP redirects (301) to any other location as
> >  desired by the project
>
>
> … how do these statements comply to the GPL?
>
> Doesn’t the GPL give everybody the rights to redistribute GPL’ed software in binary form as long as they 
> fulfill the other requirements (providing source code)?
>
> IMO, claiming not to set up a mirror with GPL’ed software for redistribution and not allowing other 
> projects to redistribute GPL’ed software is AFAIK not compliant with the GPL. Even bundling GPL’ed software 
> with proprietary software is possible as long as its not linked against GPL’ed libs.
>
> So how can a project which develops and publishes GPL’ed software ask somebody to give up the rights the 
> GPL grants?
>
> Or am I missing the point?

I would think so. Pippin already answered, but I will also add that
additionnally to Sourceforge claiming to be friend of FLOSS, there is
also the fact that they are reusing the GIMP project that the upstream
used to have, after basically throwing out its owner (Jernej,
officially as a member of the team).

Imagine you had a blog or an account on whatever online service/social
network you want. You say stuff in your name, have a profile photo
showing your face, and the account has your name on it. Some day, you
stop using it because the online service conditions don't suit you.
But you are famous so the online service decides to throw you out of
your own blog, keep your name on the top, as well as your profile
photo, and start making blog posts saying insanities.
Of course it would be written somewhere (in small) that now this is
not you who post and the online service company would claim that they
are fan of your work, your blog was abandonned, and they therefore
just wanted to continue inform people around about your whereabouts.
But in the end, thousands of outdated links (exact same URL!)
everywhere would still point to this blog as yours and people would
still go there thinking they are reading things from you (things you
may actually not agree with) while the service would still make a big
profit from your name.

Well same as you could hardly argue that this online blog service was
just making a fan website, what did Sourceforge could hardly be
considered as just making a mirror of GIMP.
And that's our main issue there. They are using GIMP notoriety and
misleading people, and distributing unwanted adwares with GIMP name
(and years of web history pointing there) by doing so.

Jehan

> Regards
> Simone Karin
>
>
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