Libraries and the GPL / LGPL

[Inventive Software]

I got a library book out about 3 weeks ago, entitled "Red Hat Fedora Linux 3 For Dummies". In the shops this comes with a DVD containing the entire Red Hat Fedora Linux 3 distribution. My local library has been good to me so far with regard to Linux books and the like, as I do not have the internet connection to download entire operating systems.

Imagine my surprise when I was told I could not use the software on the DVD that accompanies the book, even though the software is released under the GPL.

I have checked the license through thoroughly and cannot find where they (the library) could be violating the GPL. Unless I missed something, I feel that my rights to free software under the terms of the GPL have been violated.

Any help would be gladly appreciated in understanding if my rights have been violated.

[Doom9]

Imagine my surprise when I was told I could not use the software on the DVD that accompanies the book, even though the software is released under the GPL.says who? You're free to use any GPL'ed software you may find on the DVD, no questions asked. If there is no GPL software though you have to conform to a separate license, but that only applies to the no GPL licensed software.

[Inventive Software]

says who?
The librarian I asked about this.

You're free to use any GPL'ed software you may find on the DVD, no questions asked.
If this is the case, then they're breaking the terms of the GPL. I'm gonna get onto their case later on.

To my understanding, all the software that comes with the RH FL3 distribution is free and GPL'd, or else they wouldn't offer it for download blanketed under the GPL.

Would it matter if the media it was distributed on infringed their license restrictions? Because it seems that only the DVD distributions are restricted, not the CD distributions. The GPL states that it the license is applicable on any media the software is distributed on. So the license restrictions that are in place restricting the library from distributing on DVD (if there are any) are breaking the terms of the GPL.

If this is confusing, sorry. I generally write what's in my head.

[Doom9]

Perhaps the DVD contains some non GPL software? If you take Suse Linux for example.. their downloadable distribution is feature limited.. it contains all the GPL software but not their closed source extensions like their configuration tools. To get those, you have to buy the CD/DVD distributions. So perhaps that DVD contains commercial software or free software that may not be freely redistributed by anyone. For instance, the makers of TMPG asked me to cease distribution of TMPG (essentially free software except that you need an MPEG-2 encoding license after 30 days) because their license doesn't permit it. So it is not outside the realm of possibilities that this DVD contains bits of software you may not redistribute (obviously it would be non GPL software), or that is fully commercial (so that you have to buy in order to use it).

And I would leave the poor librarian alone.. he might well just be unaware of all the little license details.

[Inventive Software]

Fair enough. I'm gonna contact the head office in Ipswich about this, and see what they say. See just what the license restrictions they have are.

[albertgasset]

I don't think all the software in Fedora Core 3 is GPL'ed, but it is all free software (free as in free of speech). So you have the right to use the software, and they have the right to distribute it. I don't see the problem, maybe the librarian didn't know it was free software (or doesn't know about free software). Anyway, you do have the right to use it, it's free software.