Printing a GPL licensed icon (or embedding it in a PDF document)

Question

In my thesis I'd like to use the Gnome Web browser icon inside a figure. However, this icon isn't licensed under a CC license, but under the GPL. While I'm aware of the conditions imposed by the GPL on software, I'm unsure of the implications when embedding a GPL licensed icon inside a document that is distributed as PDF and in printed form.

To further complicate the issue I'll have to remove the drop shadow and thereby modify the icon. However, obviously I'm not able to include the modified SVG source inside the printed document or the PDF.

So what's the best way to handle this situation? Is there any possiblity to legally include this icon without violating the GPL (without also licensing the textual content of the document itself under the GPL)? Or would it be better to find some other similar icon that is licensed under a Creative Commons license?

Answer 1

The GPL really wasn't meant for images, and is therefore highly open to interpretation. Since I assume this issue isn't worth hiring a lawyer over, and you want to avoid legal fallout, I'd probably go for an alternative icon with a clearer license. I particularly like this public domain icon set.