MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Complying with the GPL when distributing Calibre

jscholes · 09-17-2015, 08:14 PM

I'm creating a Windows application, one of the primary goals of which is to simplify installation as much as possible. To that end, I would like to include a pre-configured version of Calibre in my distribution, and was wondering about the GPL v3 requirements as far as also distributing, or otherwise making available, the source code go.

Specifically, section 6, part of which reads:

You may convey a covered work in object code form under the terms of sections 4 and 5, provided that you also convey the machine-readable Corresponding Source under the terms of this License, in one of these ways:
...
d) Convey the object code by offering access from a designated place (gratis or for a charge), and offer equivalent access to the Corresponding Source in the same way through the same place at no further charge. You need not require recipients to copy the Corresponding Source along with the object code. If the place to copy the object code is a network server, the Corresponding Source may be on a different server (operated by you or a third party) that supports equivalent copying facilities, provided you maintain clear directions next to the object code saying where to find the Corresponding Source. Regardless of what server hosts the Corresponding Source, you remain obligated to ensure that it is available for as long as needed to satisfy these requirements.

My question is this: If I include Calibre's binary distribution inside my application's installer, without source code, will I be complying with the license terms if I also link to a tarball of the source code from the official Calibre GitHub repo on the same page along with an appropriate notice? Or should I copy the tarball to my own server and offer a download from there? Are neither of these options acceptable and I should bundle the entire source tree inside my installer?

Many thanks.

09-17-2015, 08:14 PM	#1
jscholes Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2015 Device: None	Complying with the GPL when distributing Calibre I'm creating a Windows application, one of the primary goals of which is to simplify installation as much as possible. To that end, I would like to include a pre-configured version of Calibre in my distribution, and was wondering about the GPL v3 requirements as far as also distributing, or otherwise making available, the source code go. Specifically, section 6, part of which reads: You may convey a covered work in object code form under the terms of sections 4 and 5, provided that you also convey the machine-readable Corresponding Source under the terms of this License, in one of these ways: ... d) Convey the object code by offering access from a designated place (gratis or for a charge), and offer equivalent access to the Corresponding Source in the same way through the same place at no further charge. You need not require recipients to copy the Corresponding Source along with the object code. If the place to copy the object code is a network server, the Corresponding Source may be on a different server (operated by you or a third party) that supports equivalent copying facilities, provided you maintain clear directions next to the object code saying where to find the Corresponding Source. Regardless of what server hosts the Corresponding Source, you remain obligated to ensure that it is available for as long as needed to satisfy these requirements. My question is this: If I include Calibre's binary distribution inside my application's installer, without source code, will I be complying with the license terms if I also link to a tarball of the source code from the official Calibre GitHub repo on the same page along with an appropriate notice? Or should I copy the tarball to my own server and offer a download from there? Are neither of these options acceptable and I should bundle the entire source tree inside my installer? Many thanks.