Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. In this case, complying with the gpl means distributing the unmodified source for the gpllicensed program, per section 6 of gplv3 and section 3 of gplv2. Top 10 gnu gpl license questions answered whitesource. When and wherever possible, however, i will always use the mit license for my code and will only use a gpl license if given no other option. You may copy, distribute and modify the software as long as you track changesdates of in source files and keep modifications under gpl. The following licenses are in use for r or associated software such as packages. Ffmpeg is licensed under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl version 2. No commercial software, no code that you keep for yourself, no way to. Aug 26, 2008 this is a guide to effective compliance with the gnu general public license gpl and related licenses. Its generally appropriate for libraries and projects that want to allow linking from nongpl and nonopensource.
The license was originally written by richard stallman of the free software foundation fsf for the gnu project. Ohhhh, now i get itthis is an attempt to make modify in the agpl mean something different from modify in the gpl itself, such that you can do things that would be considered modifying in the gpl and hence trigger copyleft and claim they dont constitute modifying for purposes of the extra proviso in the agpl and hence wont trigger copyleft, so you can incorporate agpl code into. The main idea here is that the library remains free software. Both licenses have the same copyleft scope, but materially differ in one important way. The agplv3s section states an additional condition not present in gplv2 or gplv3. As i understand it, the commercial qt license is expensive. This has implications for proprietary andor commercial software developers, as many popular and important libraries are licensed under the gpl. He also started a nonprofit foundation, the free software foundation fsf, which intended to develop an entire operating system, including all associated software, that would not be subject to proprietary licensing. Why you shouldnt use the lesser gpl for your next library. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a. However, there is the system library exception which is how folks link against linux libs and still release their product under non gpl licenses. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law. In case youre wondering, heres a definition of free software.
Jan 31, 2019 now, can you think of using r without, say, the tidyverse package. This is simply normal distribution of software that includes gpl components. There are multiple variants of the gnu gpl, each with different requirements. Can i write free software that uses nonfree libraries. If you want an example of including gpld software as part of a commercial offering, look at os x. These are examples of the license accompanying code, and you can find other examples at the gpl has nothing to do with whether you charge for the software or distribute it for free. Preamble the gnu affero general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works, specifically designed to ensure cooperation with the community in the case of network server software. Question on importing a gpled python library in commercial code. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a widelyused free software license, which guarantees end users the freedom to run, study, share and modify the software. Can i use gpl software in a commercial application software.
Jun 15, 2012 relationships between the gpl licences and other software are carefully explained in the gpl faq. The implication is that gpled software is not necessarily free from cost, and therefore you can in fact license your programs under the gpl and still sell them for money. The documentation shipped with the library and made available over the web, excluding the pages generated from source comments, are ed by the free software foundation, and placed under the gnu free documentation license version 1. The most common case is when a free librarys features are readily available for proprietary software through other alternative libraries. In accordance with the software freedom law centers sflcs philosophy of assisting the community with gpl compliance cooperatively, this guide focuses on avoiding compliance actions and minimizing the negative impact when enforcement. Businesses and enterprises who wish to incorporate wolfssl products into proprietary appliances or other commercial software products for redistribution must license commercial versions. If you want an example of including gpl d software as part of a commercial offering, look at os x. Openssl is covered by one of two licenses, depending on which release is involved. There are no frontcover texts, no backcover texts, and no invariant sections. Linking is the technical process of connecting code in a library to the using code, to produce a single executable file. Gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too. It restricts you from using software to build nongpl software including bsdlicensed free software, but it prevents software from being taken private by commercial developers.
The lgpl exists to allow the creation of free software that can be linked to proprietary code. Users choosing to use cgal under the freeofcharge open source license have to comply to its terms, otherwise they have to buy a commercial license. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. The gpl, lgpl, and mozilla licenses understanding open. Advocates of the gnu general public license gnu gpl like to perpetuate the idea that programs released under it are free as in speech, not free as in beer. As a result, developers who use or distribute open source applications under the gpl can use the gpllicensed mysql software, and oems, isvs and vars that do not want to combine or distribute the mysql software with their own commercial software under a gpl license can purchase a commercial license. If you distribute gpllicenced binaries, you will have to comply with the gpl. If that commercial application is what youre selling, then youre giving a copy of that software in exchange for money. The most common case is when a free library s features are readily available for proprietary software through other alternative libraries. The text of the gnu general public license gpl is in a file named copying in various directories in your linux system. Which license is best for a given library is a matter of strategy, and it depends on the details of the situation. A gpl linking exception modifies the gnu general public license gpl in a way that enables software projects which provide library code to be linked to the programs that use them, without applying the full terms of the gpl to the using program. Sep 03, 2016 gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too.
The creative commons attributionsharealike international license version 4. This is a solution that satisfies those who wish to produce gpled software using wxwidgets, and also those producing proprietary software. Gnu public license is all but free and you should never use it. In some senses, thats very permissive because the aggregate permissiveness is maximized. Relationships between the gpl licences and other software are carefully explained in the gpl faq. The gnu gpl is the most widely used free software license and has a strong copyleft requirement. Software under the gpl may be run for all purposes, including commercial purposes and even as a tool for creating proprietary software, such as. Apr 17, 2010 it restricts you from using software to build non gpl software including bsdlicensed free software, but it prevents software from being taken private by commercial developers. Assume you will purchase a shiny server pro commercial license, this still does not resolve the shiny library itself being licensed as gpl.
Can i sell a proprietary software with an lgpl library. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a. The fact that a gpllicensed component is publicly available, e. Using gpllicensed components in proprietary projects. Linking is the technical process of connecting code in a library to the using code, to produce a.
Unfortunately, there are too many potentialities to have a hard and fast rule. Check out the fsf compatible license page for further reading. Feb 25, 2006 advocates of the gnu general public license gnu gpl like to perpetuate the idea that programs released under it are free as in speech, not free as in beer. This wrapper service will provide a generic interface to utialize this library and will be licensed with gpl. Why you should use a bsd style license for your open source. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain. Version 3 of the gpl added protections against use with software locking. Why the gpl is incompatible with commercial software. Jul 24, 2018 in the absence of distribution, a user is merely using the software, and since the act of running the gpl code is not subject to the license, one does not have to share their modifications to the code. The lgpl provides an alternative license that preserves many of the benefits of the gpl model for such librariesin fact, the lesser general public license was in its first incarnation known as the library general public license. Preamble the licenses for most software are designed to take. Gnu public license is all but free and you should never use. Does the foss license exception apply to all oracle software products, including the mysql database server. Lgpllicensed libraries can be linked with nongpl licensed programs, including proprietary software.
The fact that the binary is embodied in a physical device only. If they form a single combined program then the main program must be released under the gpl or a gpl compatible free software license, and the terms of the gpl must be followed when the main program is distributed for use with these plugins. The following licenses are sorted by the number of conditions, from most gnu agplv3 to none unlicense. You can distribute your application using a gpl library commercially. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the software. Finally, the authors of the gpl d lib can create specific exceptions, such as for non commercial or hobbyist use. In all cases, there is a file named license in the toplevel of the release. The gnu affero general public license version 3 agplv3 is a copyleft license nearly identical to the gplv3. Its built with and comes with an awful lot of gpl d software. The software included in this product contains ed software that is licensed under the gpl. Most gpl version 2 software is actually licensed as gpl version 2 or any later version, or. Licensing information wolfssl embedded ssltls library. Gpl license is also commercial, in the sense that you can buysell software licensed by it.
I use qt in my personal projects, but they are all under the gpl so i can use the gpl licensing on qt and not have to pay for a commercial license. Stallman devised an alternative to the commercial software license and called it the gpl, or gnu public license. Gnu public license is all but free and you should never. Open source licenses are licenses that comply with the open source definition in brief, they allow software to be freely used, modified, and shared. Oct 10, 2011 the gnu gpl general public license covers over 50% of the free software projects including the linux kernel, busybox and many applications. Another exception is when the two licenses are compatible with each other. The gpl guarantees everyone with the software identical permissions. The wxwindows library licence is essentially the lgpl library general public licence, with an exception stating that derived works in binary form may be distributed on the users own terms. The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. The foss license exception permits use of the gpllicensed mysql client libraries with software applications licensed under certain other foss licenses without causing the entire derivative work to be subject to the gpl.
Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project. Difference between different types of open sources licenses. Gpl is a copyleft license so it requires derivative works to be released under the same license and programs linked with a library released under the gpl must also be released under the gpl. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain without. Maybe what you want is a proprietary license as opposed to free as in speech license. When distributing derived works, the source code of the work must be made available under the same license. The license list page gives a partial list of gpl compatible licenses. If a library is released under the gpl not the lgpl, does that mean that any software which uses it has to be under the gpl or a gpl compatible license. Lessor gpl there are reasons that can make it better to use the lesser gpl in certain cases. The gnu general public license gives permission to release a modified version without this exception. After you find the file, you can change to that directory and type more copying to read the gpl. For example, type the following command to find a copy of that file in your linux system for various items. The gpl is far, far more authorfriendly than the bsd license is. And if you want to create a shiny web app you still use the shiny library also gpl.
Gnu general public license, version 3 spdx short identifier. If others come across this answer and have a library licensed under affero gpl v2 or gpl v3, they should know that using the library in a saas setting qualifies as redistribution and triggers the requirement for the source code of the work to be released. The choice of licence comes down to personal preference, and both approaches can. I again dont so much care about the ethics bsds just fine as i do about the commercial impact. Assume you will purchase a shiny server pro commercial license, this. Some features, such as support for some external libraries libx264 and libx265 for example and various filters, are covered by the gnu general public license gpl version 2 or later see commercial x264 license exception below. I dont care about the license of the software that i use as a final user, i always respect them. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law center. The lgpl is intended to be a license for libraries. Can i link a gpl program with a proprietary system library. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it. Secondly, any code you see on this site, my github account, or receive from me in any way is, unless otherwise explicitly stated, distributed under the terms of the mit license above.
You can distribute your application using a gpl library commercially, but you must also provide the source code. The gnu general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works. Using a library or software component licensed under gpl in one of my projects requires me to use the gpl or compatible myself, which i may not want to do. Any commercial software can communicate with this service using its plugins. A copy of that license is included in this document on page x. Why you should use a bsd style license for your open. Now, can you think of using r without, say, the tidyverse package.