Re: Copyright, Licensing etc.

[dewar@gnat.com (Robert Dewar)]

sk <noname@myob.com> wrote in message news:<mailman.1016248082.31806.comp.lang.ada@ada.eu.org>...
> However, I want to ensure 3 things :
> 
> 1) That I do not "offend" the original author 

The issue is not "offending" the original author (though
of course it is a courtesy to ask), but rather to ensure
that you have a valid license. The fact that a file has
a GPL header on it has no legal significance. Only the
copyright holder has the power to license, and the mere
fact that there is some wording on a file does not ensure
that this is the case (imagine for example if someone 
posted Microsoft proprietary code, adding a GPL header,
this would NOT mean that this code was licensed under
the GPL).

> 2) That I do not infringe upon the original copyright and
>    licensing.

Well of course that is a legal issue, and I cannot offer
any legal advice here, especially since I have not seen
what you have done, but certainly a good step is to make
sure that you do have definitive knowledge of who holds
the copyright and what license they provide.

> 3) That I properly cover any loop-holes and keep the
>    derivation within the same GPL license.

Again, that is a legal issue. The GPL is a legal contract,
and you have to make sure you adhere to all its conditions.

> However, for items 2) and 3) does the following both
> fully honor the original work and stop my derivation
> from escaping the GPL ?

What you put in the header is irrelevant, it has no legal
significance.

> Do I in fact have any copyrights to the derivation ?

Probably, assuming the original was licensed under the
GPL, the result is a permissible deriviative work in which
you share a copyright interest.

> I have read the original license, but I am having trouble
> distinguishing between the domain of the original 
> material and the domain of my translation.

Clearly only an attorney can offer a professional opinion
here, and only a court can finally adjudicate, but you may
find useful information in the GPL FAQ if you have not already read it.