Derivative work and GPL [closed]

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So I've been googling this for a while but I can't seem to find the right answer...

I was wondering if i make an application that remotes a GPL app.

Let's say I wanna remote VLC.

I have 2 different possibilities

If I P/Invoke it, is it a derivative work?

If the application uses VLC's command line interface using a socket, is it a derivative work?

That said, the objective of the application is to control a wide variety of media centers. Not only vlc. But I will indeed be forced to have an adaptor specialized with each media center in the code

Answer 1

IANAL

• The advice you get from a Q&A site like Stack Overflow is not legal advice.
• It is worth every penny you paid for it.
• For an accurate answer, consult a (knowledgeable) lawyer.

Simply communicating between a program you wrote and another written under the GPL, especially when the communication is between machines, does not — AFAIK — make your program a derivative of the the other (unless you use code from it in your program, etc, but I'm discounting that). A program is a derivative of another when it uses source code from the other, or links a library from the other, or dynamically loads a library from the other, or something along those lines. If your code does none of those (use possibly modified source, link or dynamically load a library), the chances are high that your code is not a derivative of the other.

Answer 2

I was wondering if I make an application that remotes a GPL app.

Well, VLC is released under GPL, you can install it (or not) and then write some software that interacts with it (or not). The GPL does not forbid that, VLC is Free Software and it is explicitly allowed to use the software for anything you like (no fields of endeavor).

Then you talk about having one application to interact with the VLC or not:

• Q: If I P/Invoke it, is it a derivative work? A: It depends.
• Q: f the application uses VLC's command line interface using a socket, is it a derivative work? - A: It depends.

I think these two questions are correctly answered, if you've got a good lawyer she will tell you the same. Anyway, for the use-case you describe I can not see how it plays a role if you would create a derivative work or not.

That would only create a difference if you plan to distribute a derivate and you would not plan to use GPL for your work. But all these details are missing, so perhaps you just fear the GPL here? Then I'd say that the GNU GPL FAQ is a good place to understand more why the GPL has copyleft and what is good to do. Then you can also far easier decide if your practice is contradicting the aims of the GPL or not, which on it's own might not play legally a high role, but will bring you and your software in align with the community which is perhaps the thing to look for anyway. Legal stuff is for cases where you need to fight alone for, rights on which you insist.