Integrate text regarding GPLv2§8 learned during GPLv3 into this section.

I had to substantially rewrite the text pasted from the rationale document
here to fit the text into the GPLv2-specific discussion that intended for
this section of the tutorial.
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Bradley M. Kuhn 2014-03-20 08:09:29 -04:00
parent ebefdf8de8
commit c7a3684824

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@ -2097,21 +2097,19 @@ copyrighted interfaces (no country to our knowledge even permits those
yet), that the GPLv2'd software can continue in free and unabated yet), that the GPLv2'd software can continue in free and unabated
distribution in the countries where such controls do not exist. distribution in the countries where such controls do not exist.
As far as is currently known, GPLv2~\S8 has never been formally used by any As far as is currently known, GPLv2~\S8 has very rarely been formally used by
copyright holders. Some have used GPLv2~\S8 to explain various odd special copyright holders. Admittedly, some have used GPLv2~\S8 to explain various
topics of distribution, but generally speaking, this section is not odd special topics of distribution (usually related in some way to
particularly useful and was actually removed in GPLv3. GPLv2~\S7). However, generally speaking, this section is not proven
particularly useful in the more than two decades of GPLv2 history.
% FIXME: integrate this into this section. Meanwhile, despite many calls by the FSF (and others) for those licensors who
explicitly use this section to come forward and explain their reasoning, no
To our knowledge, no one has invoked this section to add an explicit one ever did. Furthermore, research conducted during the GPLv3 drafting
geographical distribution limitation since GPLv2 was released in 1991. We process found exactly one licensor who had invoked this section to add an
have concluded that this provision is not needed and is not expected to be explicit geographical distribution limitation, and the reasoning for that one
needed in the future, and that it therefore should be removed. invocation was not fitting with FSF's intended spirit of GPLv2~\S8. As such,
GPLv2~\S8 was not included at all in GPLv3.
Although a principal reason for removing the provision is the fact that it
has rarely been used, we have also encountered one current example of its use
that we find troubling.
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\chapter{Odds, Ends, and Absolutely No Warranty} \chapter{Odds, Ends, and Absolutely No Warranty}