[asterisk-dev] SCF Licencing

[Kevin P. Fleming]

On 10/28/2010 04:36 PM, Julian Lyndon-Smith wrote:
> I am very interested in this from the licence
> 
> "It is Digium’s interpretation that because the Asterisk SCF APIs, by
> definition, expose direct, and indirect, complex remote, and
> non-remote, function calls on objects provided by Asterisk SCF’s
> programs, that usage of these APIs between the program hosting the
> object(s) and the program accessing the object(s) creates a derivative
> work that must be covered wholly by GPLv2, even if the mechanism used
> to invoke the function calls employs a cross-process or network
> connection. As a result, any program that employs the Asterisk SCF
> APIs to perform its intended functions, and would not be able to
> perform those intended functions without using these APIs to
> communicate with Asterisk SCF programs, or derivatives of Asterisk SCF
> programs, is subject to the terms of the GPLv2 when it is distributed,
> unless the distributor of the program has obtained explicit written
> permission from Digium to distribute it under a different license."
> 
> Does this mean if you use the SCF version of the Asterisk AMI, your
> system then becones GPLv2 ?

No. There is no Asterisk SCF version of the AMI, because Asterisk SCF
APIs are defined using the Slice language, and provide direct access to
objects provided by Asterisk SCF components. This is a very different
kind of API from anything that exists in Asterisk 1.x.

If at some point in the future there is an AMI-type interface to some
portions of Asterisk SCF, we would follow the same philosophy we have
with Asterisk 1.x, and treat that interface as a license boundary.

> 
> I don't think so. Guess this adopter won't be adopting ;)
> 
> Unless, of course, (quite easiliy) I have the wrong end of the stick.
> Please be it so.

I believe that is the case :-)

-- 
Kevin P. Fleming
Digium, Inc. | Director of Software Technologies
445 Jan Davis Drive NW - Huntsville, AL 35806 - USA
skype: kpfleming | jabber: kfleming at digium.com
Check us out at www.digium.com & www.asterisk.org