[quake3] Greetings

[monk at rq3.com]

>> Maybe things have changed. But as I mentioned, I was told that any
>> Closed
>> Source game / Mod distributed on Q3 source code required some type of
>> licensing.

Pretty much what Scott said.  If UrT only worked on their custom version
of ioq3, would they need to GPL their mod.  However, they did it in
reverse--their custom version of ioq3 is modified to be a host for their
mod and the GPL'ed ioq3 relies then on their mod to run.

If you make a GPL'ed piece of software, any closed-source libraries that
it requires to run, say, win32, cannot be forced to become GPL.  However,
if some closed-source library ONLY works on some GPL'ed software, THEN
you'd have to GPL the library as well.  I think that's a specific example
listed on the GPL website for GPLv2.

Since UrT was originally made under the Q3 mod sdk, there's no reason to
somehow retroactively force the licensing to change, nor do I think
there's any legal grounds to that.  Just because q3 had a GPL'ed version
released does not mean work done on the prior version/license has to
become GPL now.  I think that's also a specific example listed on the GPL
website for GPLv2.

As long as UrT, the mod, still works on both vanilla Q3 and on ioq3,
there's no reason the mod should fall under the GPL.  If UrT ONLY worked
on ioq3, THEN it would have to fall under the GPL.  Just because UrT has
the mod code wrapped up in ioq3 doesn't automatically mean you have to
abide by GPL.  UrT did it pretty much the only way you can do it to remain
closed-source and probably the way I would have gone about it if I wanted
to keep a mod closed source.  There are one or two other
exceptions/loopholes for this kind of thing, but I believe this is the
easiest to implement.

Contract law = hate hate hate.

Monk.