[mythtv-users] Legality of selling MythTV and its Components?

[Disconnect]

On Tue, 02 May 2006, Steven Adeff did have cause to say:

> From my understanding, the GPL lets you sell products with the
> software installed but not charge for the software itself. You are
> also allowed to charge for support for the software.

I'd recommend talking to a lawyer if you are unsure, but ISTR that you can 
do "most anything" (including selling) gpl software, so long as you don't 
then restrict the buyer's rights as far as distribution or availability of 
source. (Lets not get wiggy about "anything", its in quotes for a reason.)

So you could, in theory, take gpl software and offer it for sale for huge 
amounts of money. (You could even do this after adding all the features 
everyone wants and making it the best app ever written).  The only problem 
is you are unlikely to get more than one buyer, as they will then give it 
away to everyone else.  (And I'm not sure, but it is probably legit to only 
allow redistribution of sources, not binaries, so long as those bins are 
generated from the provided sources.. but now its just getting weird.)

(And fyi, no, you don't have to release your changes or enhancements or 
source or anything...until you distribute the binaries. And that loophole 
has been used against webapps rather successfully in the past.)