Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

General Public Virus
     
         A pejorative name for some versions of the
        {GNU} project {copyleft} or {General Public License} (GPL),
        which requires that any tools or {application programs}
        incorporating copylefted code must be source-distributed on
        the same terms as GNU code.  Thus it is alleged that the
        copyleft "infects" software generated with GNU tools, which
        may in turn infect other software that reuses any of its code.
     
        {Copyright} law limits the scope of the GPL to "programs
        textually incorporating significant amounts of GNU code" so
        GPL is only passed on if actual GNU source is transmitted.
        This used to be the case with the {Bison} {parser} skeleton
        until its licence was fixed.
     
        {(http://org.gnu.de/manual/bison/html_chapter/bison_2.html#SEC2)}.
     
        [{Jargon File}]
     
        (1999-07-14)