[Koha] Question about GPLv3 and AGPLv3

[Chris Cormack]

On 11 May 2010 14:25, Bob Ewart <bob-ewart at att.net> wrote:
> I have installed Koha in a local library.  Our installation is only
> available on our local area network, not exposed to the internet.  Early
> on we had a request to be able to print our library cards and spine
> labels in a format that was not possible by Koha.  So I made some minor
> changes to the label and patron card routines  to produce what we
> needed.  I'm perfectly willing to share the code I modified, but I don't
> think I know how to  re-package it as a source tar-ball.
>
> If we go to GPLv3 or AGPLv3, would I have to make available the whole
> source package?
>
> I know that a number of libraries have modified the CSS and the front
> page.  Would they have to make the whole source available?
>
Hi Bob

Short answer is no, the code you have modified was released to you
under the GPLv2 or later, and as such you modifications need only be
shared if you distribute the code .
If it moved to GPLv3 then you still have these rules GPLv3 doesn't add
the network clause that AGPL3 does, (and this only applies to newly
released code, the code you were given under gplv2 or later remains
under gplv2 or later). But we have the option to include code under
AGPL3 (you can't mix and match AGPL3 and GPLv2).
If we did include AGPL3 code, then the work as a whole becomes covered by it.
So upgrading to GPLv3 doesn't mean we have to move on to AGPLv3, but
it does give us the option to.

Thank you very much for asking these questions, we are full in
discussion mode and questions like these I hope will prompt people
more versed in the letters of the license than me to answer also.

Any license change made has of course as its end goal protecting the
users four essential freedoms. I think thats something we can all
agree on even if we are still coming to an agreement on how to best do
that.

Chris