[avinassh]

> Automattic filed cancellation requests for all three trademarks

umm... why Automattic is after DIYTHEMES trademark?

> There is a tendency to think that there are two things: WordPress, and the active theme. But they do not run separately. They run as one cohesive unit. They don’t even run in a sequential order.

So, by this analogy, every app/piece of code you write for a GPL licensed OS, then the people who hold the copyright, can claim over your code?

> The answer given in the GPL FAQ is short and to the point: “Subclassing is creating a derivative work.”

So, if tomorrow Apple releases Swift with GPL or Microsoft releases C# with GPL, then everything that is written using those languages has to be GPL?

[pavlov]

Yes, if the language's class libraries are GPL and you're linking them into your binary, then your app has to be GPL too. That is the most common interpretation at least.

This is exactly why LGPL exists: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNU_Lesser_General_Public_Lice...

For open source class libraries, LGPL makes the most sense and is used by the vast majority of libraries in the Linux world.

Also, some libraries are GPL-licensed specifically to protect commercial interests. Under such a dual licensing scheme, you can use the free GPL version, but then your app has to be GPL as well... Or you can pay for a commercial license that lets you build closed-source apps using the library.

Qt used to have that kind of dual license, but they switched to LGPL after Nokia acquired Qt sometime around 2008.