Re: The impact of a module's license on the requiring Lua program

[Rob Kendrick <rjek@...>]

On Tue, Apr 10, 2012 at 08:44:53AM +0200, Marc Balmer wrote:
> What impact does the license of a Lua module have on the requiring (i.e.
> calling) Lua program?
> 
> If a Lua module is GPLed, does using that module with 'require' make my
> Lua program a derivative work as per GPL terms or is it merely running
> the program as per GPL terms? The latter case would mean that my Lua
> program needs not be published under the GPL.

Here be dragons, and another example of why the GPL is a poor choice of
licence: it doesn't define what linking means.  One could almost define
the Lua VM as a machine emulator, and calls to modules as system calls,
which would mean the GPL wouldn't contaminate the "link".

I think the solution is to ask a lawyer, and then watch him cry.

B.