Suppose I create software that uses a library licensed under the GPL. If I distribute the software including the library, the software would have to be licensed under the GPL as well. But what if I distribute the software without the GPL library? Can the software then be closed source?
For example, I could achieve this by distributing the software without the GPL library, and making it download the GPL library's object files (for dynamic linking) from a third-party source when the software first starts up. In this way, I am not "distributing" the GPL library, so I do not have to comply with the terms of the GPL. The software can then remain closed source. Does this violate the GPL?
Note: By "GPL", I mean the GPLv2 or GPLv3.