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  • also, as an example, I just found this bash guide, there it says "When not to use shell scripts" -> "Proprietary, closed-source applications (Shell scripts put the source code right out in the open for all the world to see.)". So it basically says we should not create proprietary bash scripts for our algorithm safety, but it does NOT say that we cannot do it, that we are forbidden from doing it. Commented Dec 15, 2014 at 18:22
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    Copyright does not just protect distribution; making derivative works is one of the exclusive rights a copyright holder has. Whether this is a derivative work is a legal question (though the FSF doesn't seem to think so, and they're the ones most likely to want to enforce the GPL). Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 8:56
  • @cpast I found something that may be worth reading: en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FOSS_Licensing/…, look for "proprietary": "..and has source code from all three programs.", so what in case it has NOT source code from the GPL program? Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 20:03
  • I just thought also that, if a GPL program is prefered over a proprietary one to perform the same task (output), like I suggest in the question, that puts that GPL application above the proprietary one, what is actually good. But that is just a thought... Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 20:05
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    @AquariusPower Something could potentially be a derivative without including any source code whatsoever. Derivatives include copyrightable elements of the original work; everything hinges on what about software is copyrightable. There is an active court case in the US where a federal appeals court has ruled that APIs are copyrightable, for instance (the case is still ongoing, but the point is it's a question for lawyers). Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 20:16