2007.07.15 04:41 "Re: [Tiff] [ANNOUNCE]: Libtiff 4.0.0alpha released", by Graeme Gill

Yes, I've had similar (though less authoritative) advice regarding mixing GPL software with openssl, which otherwise needs an explicit exception to the GPL for individual works which intend to permit that.

This does seem logical, since if you are using symbols from the library then you are linking to it. That they may be provided statically, or through the ELF dynamic linker, or by explicit dynamic loading from the application (etc.) doesn't really change that much.

I don't believe that the nature of the link between the GPL code and other code that goes to make up a package of functionality has anything directly to do with it. It's the fact that a distributed package ("work") depends on GPL code for some of its functionality that makes the distributed package a derived work. If the different pieces do directly link then this is more obviously established, but the GPL code could be in a separate executable and still the package may be a derived work.

Graeme Gill.