Question

I want to write a program that uses the GPL-licensed pandoc for Markdown processing. I’d be writing this in Haskell, so my binaries would statically link pandoc. At the same time, I’d like my actual source code to be MIT-licensed so that people who create derivatives don’t have to GPL-license them. I’d be fine with people being able to take the code under the GPL license as long as they can take it under the MIT one as well, so they don’t have to release their source code. Is this possible?

Answer 1

Disclaimer: IANAL

If you own the code (i.e. you aren’t doing it as paid work-for-hire contract or in your capacity as an employee, in either case the company would then own it) then you can release your code under any license you please.

However, you cannot change the license of pandoc. Anyone who makes a derivative of your code is forced to include source when they distribute, if they continue to use (including indirectly through your library) pandoc, because that’s part of pandoc’s license. If they rebuilt your code without pandoc, they could freely use your MIT-licensed code without needing to include their source or their changes to your source alongside distributed binaries.

Disclaimer: IANAL