Re: GPLv2 icon with GPLv3+ program

[Calum Benson <Calum Benson Sun COM>]

On 20 Jul 2009, at 15:59, Ulrik Sverdrup wrote:

> I know this is a gray area, but I want to know if this list, or gnome
> artist, have opinions about GPLv2 icons to GPLv3 programs
> compatibility.
>
> The default gnome icon theme is released under GPLv2 (only). With my
> GPLv3+ program I want to distribute an icon derived from gnome's
> default icon theme: I'm taking insert-object.svg and making object.svg
> (a blue box, attached).
>
> I combine the GPLv2 icon with my python program at runtime like so:
>
> pixbuf = gtk.gdk.pixbuf_new_from_file_at_size(icon_path, size,size)
> gtk.icon_theme_add_builtin_icon(icon_name, size, pixbuf)
>
> Now, is it compatible? Is the icon now "linked" to my program, so I
> can not use it?

Slightly tangential, but FWIW we switched gnome-themes to LGPL a few  
years ago, because it seemed that an icon theme more closely resembled  
a library than an application.  But whole question of if/when/how  
icons were 'linked' to an application was pretty unclear when we made  
that choice, too.

Cheeri,
Calum.

--
CALUM BENSON, Usability Engineer       Sun Microsystems Ireland
mailto:calum benson sun com            OpenSolaris Desktop Team
http://blogs.sun.com/calum             +353 1 819 9771

Any opinions are personal and not necessarily those of Sun Microsystems