Bug 681056 - Postfix links against MySQL in violation of GPL
Summary: Postfix links against MySQL in violation of GPL
Keywords:
Status: CLOSED NOTABUG
Alias: None
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Classification: Red Hat
Component: postfix
Version: 6.3
Hardware: All
OS: Unspecified
unspecified
urgent
Target Milestone: rc
: ---
Assignee: Jaroslav Škarvada
QA Contact: qe-baseos-daemons
URL:
Whiteboard:
Depends On:
Blocks:
TreeView+ depends on / blocked
 
Reported: 2011-02-28 23:39 UTC by Quanah Gibson-Mount
Modified: 2011-03-22 23:49 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

Fixed In Version:
Doc Type: Bug Fix
Doc Text:
Clone Of:
Environment:
Last Closed: 2011-03-22 20:26:31 UTC
Target Upstream Version:


Attachments (Terms of Use)

Description Quanah Gibson-Mount 2011-02-28 23:39:10 UTC
Description of problem:

Postfix is released under the IBM Public License.  This license is not compatible with the GPL.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):


How reproducible:

Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install RHEL6 including postfix package
2. Run ldd on postfix
3.         libmysqlclient.so.16 => /usr/lib64/mysql/libmysqlclient.so.16 (0x00007ff252c1a000)

  
Actual results:

It is linked against mysql libraries

Expected results:

It not be linked against the mysql libraries for legal reasons

Additional info:

While MySQL has a list of licenses it excludes for the MySQL C connector (libmysql), the IBM Public License is not one of those licenses.  Only later licenses from IBM (The CPL and EPL) are excluded.  This means RedHat is in apparent violation of the MySQL licensing terms by linking postfix to it.

Comment 2 RHEL Program Management 2011-02-28 23:57:49 UTC
This request was evaluated by Red Hat Product Management for
inclusion in the current release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
Because the affected component is not scheduled to be updated
in the current release, Red Hat is unfortunately unable to
address this request at this time. Red Hat invites you to
ask your support representative to propose this request, if
appropriate and relevant, in the next release of Red Hat
Enterprise Linux. If you would like it considered as an
exception in the current release, please ask your support
representative.

Comment 7 Tom "spot" Callaway 2011-03-22 20:26:31 UTC
The MySQL webpage has been updated to add the IBM Public License 1.0 to the exception list, resolving this concern:

http://www.mysql.com/about/legal/licensing/foss-exception/

Thanks to Wim Coekaerts at Oracle for the quick resolution.

Comment 8 Quanah Gibson-Mount 2011-03-22 23:49:36 UTC
Great news... Now if only you all could convince IBM to update the postfix license from IBM public license to the Eclipse public license.  Then it'd be a perfect world.

--Quanah


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