this post was submitted on 25 Sep 2024
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Privacy
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The way I understand it is that they can relicense it and then publish it if they want, but the GPL would still fully apply to the previous versions.
The first question you cited seems to refer to any different organisation/individual making changes to the source code. And the second seems to refer to revoking the GPL for an already released version, which they would of course not be allowed to do.
This would make sense as ownership of the copyright would supersede a license.
"releasing the modified version to the public" would cover them re-closing the source and then subsequently releasing that newly closed source, so they can't relicense it and then release the built version of the code.
At least not easily, this is where court history would likely need to be visited because the way it's worded the interpretability of "modified" in this context would need to be examined.
Not a lawyer but in the scenario where proton closed the source but kept offering the build, even if gpl3 still applies since they're the only copyright holder (no contributions) it'd only give them grounds to sue themselves?
From gnu.org:
Oh, yes but the DRM exemption clause means that you can backwards engineer the changes and continue releasing them under GPL
Edit: as an example we should probably be looking at the duckststion situation evolving right now:
https://vimuser.org/duckstation.html
Oh that is a SHAME.
DuckStation is such a wonderful piece of software too. :(