Comment Re:'Open source' (Score 4, Insightful) 46
I was more meaning the circumstances - just because you find a GPLV2 'Copying' file in the file-tree does not mean that the whole thing can be distributed, as you have no way of knowing what the authors intent was.
If I put a COPYING file in my windows source tree, it doesn't make windows open-source unless I have the authority, legal clearance, and intent to release that code.
But there's another aspect of this. Say my company downloads the Linux kernel and we internally make some changes to it and use it on our servers in its modified form. Jim is one of the coders. Linux is released under GPLv2. Does that mean that Jim can take our changes home with him?
No.
The GPLv2 kicks in only when the company redistributes the code along with the modifications, and those modifications are available to the recipients that we've specified.
People often mistake "GPLv2" for "public domain" - the idea being that if my company is distributing GPLv2'd software then it's a free-for-all and anybody can have it. That's not the case.
So, even if Goldman Sachs was using GPLv2'd code unless they specifically gave it to him he can't legally have it. And my guess is that they're not about to give away the kind of code that was mentioned there.