On Tue, 7 Jun 2016 15:31:31 +0900, Simon wrote in message
<57566A43.4050803@???>:

> On 06/07/2016 02:51 PM, Hughe Chung wrote:
> > I've been porting an Open Source program to Python 3.4 for my
> > personal use. The original source code written by C language in
> > 2005 has MIT license.
> >
> > ...
> >
> > I'm planning to release it under GPLv3 soon. I will definitely
> > acknowledge original author on the license but don't want to
> > include the ancient source code in my program.
> >
>
> I think it depends on how much you copied and how polite you are. You
> can say "inspired by", but if your code is structured the same and it
> really is a port, I think you might want to word it differently.
> Though I don't think you need to include such a notice in your source
> code. If you are naming it the same and calling it a Python version,
> then maybe coordinate with the original author. That's just my
> opinion. I am not a lawyer.

..11 years with Groklaw.net has thaught me to be a little harsher;
you cannot "port" a program written under one license (MIT), under
another license, unless that first license has language that allows
such "relicensing" under other licensing terms.

..you _can_ convince the original author he should license his work
under both the MIT and GPLv3 (I would say "v2-and-later") if you
contact him and tell him why GPLv2-and-later etc are better than
e.g. the MIT license terms.

..and you can take your inspiration from anyone elses ideas whenever
you write your own work under whichever license you pick, copyright
laws protects the written etc expressions of ideas, not the ideas
themselves, which is why you _can_ write your own program as a drop-in
replacement to the original C program you once thought of to try port.

..to protect ideas, you need to patent them, which may be done in
combinations with copyright protections and contractual terms in
e.g. any canned EULA worm pit combination.

--
..med vennlig hilsen = with Kind Regards from Arnt Karlsen
...with a number of polar bear hunters in his ancestry...
Scenarios always come in sets of three:
best case, worst case, and just in case.