SharePoint Client Object Model Assembly Distribution

Question

I would like to know if it is illegal (against MS licensing agreement) to:

1. Copy the Microsoft.SharePoint.Client and Microsoft.SharePoint.Client.Runtime assemblies from a SPF 2010 server to TFS source control.
2. Add a reference from the source control path to my application.
3. Deploy the application with those assemblies to clients machine, instead of installing the Redistributable on every client machine?

Or,

Do I have to download and install the SharePoint Client Object Model Redistributable on every client machine?

The reason I am asking this question is because I read the following statement on the Microsoft SharePoint Developer Documentation Team Blog.

The assemblies for the .NET version must be included when you distribute solutions that target them. SharePoint client assemblies obtained in other ways cannot be legally redistributed.

Answer 1

You should download and install the SharePoint Client Object Model Redistributable on your development machine, reference these assemblies and distrubute them as part of your solution. The versions which are part of the SharePoint install isn't allowed to be redistributed.

Answer 2

@Hossein, I wrote the blog post that you quoted. I will try to clarify it. The intention is that the Redistributable package be installed on every client machine. This enables it to participate in Windows Update and ensures that every client has a legal copy of the assemblies. You can either point potential users of your client application to the download page of the redistributable or include the redistributable itself in what you ship to users.