Free software or libre software is computer software distributed under terms that allow users to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, change, and distribute it and any adapted versions. It meant that big companies were circumventing the gpls distribution requirement. The lgpl license explicitly allows such usages of librariespackages released under that license. And use other copyleft software only if you have not modified the api. Obviously, one of us has a nonmainstream understanding of open source ethos, but its become clear we cant come to a consensus on which of us it is, and whether the spirit of the gpl should allow selling gpled software especially when one wasnt the original creator of the software, but a more recent contributor. Those with that viewpoint simply have a misunderstanding of what free software is.
Marketing gpl 3 software open source stack exchange. You can support our efforts by making a donation to the fsf. The question is, why would someone buy it, if presumably, they can get it for free. If you should know, there are several other open source licenses too, some of which claim to offer even more freedom than the gpl such as mozilla public license, bsd licence, apache 2. The fsf started out selling copies of tapes with emacs on them, and then later whole cd collections of free software, including a mixture of gpl and nongpl code. Selling software under any free software licence is permissible, as is commercial use. The focus of the gpl is ensuring freedom for people who have copies of the software, not ensuring that the software is available. Why dash uses the mit license and not a copyleft gpl. They do not, however, give anybody the right to fool. With that said, dear techrepublic reader, the short answer to your first question is. This includes selling the software as well as charging for technical. Over the last 6 years weve seen many of our users succeed with selling software products. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. Gpl software allows you to redistribute something as long as you provide it under the same license.
Marketing and selling open source applications is very different from selling open source infrastructure. If your own software includes software covered by the gplv2 for example by copying source code, or by linking dynamically then your own software is also covered by the gplv2, and you will have to provide the source code. It is a project from artifex for handling postscript, pdfs, and printers gnu ghostscript is a separate version of the project. Since you are selling your software, the only way for them to get access to the sourcecode is to buy a copy.
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. This is true for licenses with or without copyleft. Best buy, samsung, westinghouse, and eleven other brands. Companies had started shifting towards the aforementioned third way of selling software, softwareasaservice saas rather than products. If someone doesnt pay for the exception, however, then they may only use the work in accordance with the terms of the gpl. Clearly it is possible to develop powerful and complex software packages under the gnu gpl without selling exceptions, and we do this. Wordpress gpl commercial themes and plugins dummies. Since free software may be freely redistributed, it is generally available at little or no fee. Use lgpl software only as a dynamically linked library. You can distribute your application using a gpl library commercially, but you must also provide the source code.
The second issue is in regard of reselling software you obtained legally, which is licensed under gpl is it legal. In part 1, we explored the notion of selling gpl software. You can charge nothing, a penny, a dollar, or a billion dollars. Though the scope of this lawsuit is unprecedented in that it includes 14 defendants, the sflcs primary goal is to encourage companies to join the software freedom movement, said bradley m. Mar 31, 2011 the affero gpl is designed to close the socalled application service provider loophole in the gpl, which lets asps use gpl code without distributing their changes back to the open source community. Four tips on how to sell open source software opensource. 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. Just to clarify its not illegal to sell gpld code, so long as you. I personally dont see why you cant do both as long as you make the source available for the gpl things youre using. Since 2007, the sflc has sued six companies, including verizon and cisco, for selling products with embedded foss programs in violation of the gpl. Yes, you can distribute your software without making the source code public and without giving recipients the right to make changes to your software. The interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data.
It may be confusing, but free software is referred to as. Making sense of software licensing articles and howtos. May 26, 2014 ive never felt that companies selling gpllicensed software will go very far. Apr 17, 2018 when it comes to selling digital products, software is unique. Gpl violations cost creality a us distributor hackaday. The trade in used licences is based on a very simple principle. The gnu affero general public license agpl came out in 2008, as a response to some of those changes. Can i sell my pyqt4app without having a pyqt license. Most gpl version 2 software is actually licensed as gpl version 2 or any later version, or. Yes, that is allowed, but you still have to meet all of the requirements of the license. Striking the right balance between the open source project and the proprietary version takes skill and experience. Nov 02, 2016 the gnu general public license exists to protect the liberties of software creators and users alike. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software.
You may copy, distribute and modify the software as long as you track changesdates of in source files and keep modifications under gpl. However, if someone were to buy a copy of your software and download the sourcecode, they would be allowed to redistribute the code as long as it. There is a great deal of truth in the observation that open source software is written by engineers for engineers, and much of what is created in open source is infrastructure software for security, data management, networking, and so on. In this case you would be redistributing pyqt which you can do. Nothing forbids you to write software that runs under linux regardless of the licence of your software. Ive never felt that companies selling gpllicensed software will go very far. Selling free software gnu project free software foundation. Except for one special situation, the gnu general public license gnu gpl has no requirements about how much you can charge for distributing a copy of free.
However, i would like to know if any of the following scenarios will violate the gpl 3 license. Many of the popular theme and plugin providers in the commercial wordpress space are compliant with the gpl, and you can feel comfortable knowing that the software they. When using an lgpl library package like pyside2, your obligations are. The term free software is older, and is reflected in the name of the free software foundation fsf, an organization founded in 1985 to protect and promote free software. Why the gpl is incompatible with commercial software. If you want an example of including gpld software as part of a commercial offering, look at os x. Richard stallman wrote about the practice of selling license exceptions to free software licenses as an example of ethically acceptable. Gpl and other foss licenses give everybody the right to sell software with the constraints above, for whatever price the market will bear. Selling free software some views on the ideas of selling exceptions to free software licenses, such as the gnu gpl are also available. A copyleft license permits embedding in a larger program only if the whole combined program is released under that license. However, the secret formula for software is the source code and the gpl requires that any software licensed under the gpl be accompanied by a copy of the source code. I have gone through the terms and conditions listed in the gpl 3 license. Use gpl software only if it executes 100% in its own process with no linked codedont believe myths about compliance by dynamically linking to the gpl code or making the customer download the gpl software.
Its built with and comes with an awful lot of gpld software. Gpl software can also be modified without restrictions, as long as the modified software is kept private. Why you should use a bsd style license for your open. Another part of the license governs situations in which a company is selling a product that includes gplcovered software in an executable formthe instructions a. But the nature of the gpl is such that any customer purchasing a copy of a gpl product also receives the right to distribute that copy for free or. For now, i would like to keep the morality of either action out of the picture.
Another part of the license governs situations in which a company is selling a product that includes gpl covered software in an executable formthe instructions a computer, not a human. The only requirement to distribute something is that if you do distribute the software to someone as a binary, you must also distribute the source code to them at no additional charge. This article is a general introduction to software licensing. It is also attractive to companies that expect to survive by providing various forms of technical support, including documentation, for the gpled intellectual property world. If you intend to use the gpld software strictly within. The question of usage is a little more complicated. To learn about specific microsoft server and client licensing scenarios, see an introduction to microsoft server and client licensing. The gpl is also attractive to small companies selling cds in an environment where buylow, sellhigh may still give the enduser a very inexpensive product. This article by jerry epplin sheds some light on the issues associated with using gpl software in embedded applications, and attempts to dispel the. The term open source was coined by christine peterson and adopted in 1998 by the founders of the open source initiative.
The second issue is in regard of re selling software you obtained legally, which is licensed under gpl is it legal. Why dash uses the mit license and not a copyleft gpl license. Gpl software can be used anywhere, without restrictions. 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. This is called a work based on the program on the gplv2. Ibm completes red hat deal the largest software acquisition ever. As richard stallman explains it, free software means free as in free speech, not free as in free beer. Gnu general public license, version 3 spdx short identifier. Why you should use a bsd style license for your open source. This part looks at mixing gpl v3 and v2 software with software covered by other licenses. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. Jul, 2004 however, the secret formula for software is the source code and the gpl requires that any software licensed under the gpl be accompanied by a copy of the source code. Lpg gpl lpg autogas shop selling spares to covert and.
This page is maintained by the free software foundations licensing and compliance lab. Because wordpress is licensed by the general public license gpl and is an open source software oss project, any themes or plugins also follow the gpl licensing structure. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain without. The focus of the gpl is ensuring freedom for people who have copies of the software, not ensuring that the software is available to the world at large.
The gpl doesnt require you to distribute the software to anyone. Artifex runs a business of selling exceptions to its gpl licensed software. Paying for software is seen, by some, as somehow evil. The fsf started out selling copies of tapes with emacs on them, and then later whole cd collections of free software, including a mixture of gpl and non gpl code. Lpg gpl has been trading for over six years, not only as a uklpg autogas installer but also as a reputable wholesaler to industry for kits, tanks and various lpg components, they are now well established in the market place. The affero gpl is designed to close the socalled application service provider loophole in the gpl, which lets asps use gpl code without distributing their changes back to the open source community. Your first customer could buy the binary and then start selling it on. Selling exceptions depends fundamentally on using a copyleft license, such as the gnu gpl, for the free software release. Or against the spirit of the gpl and free software. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain. On selling exceptions to the gnu gpl free software foundation. If richard stallman himself is encouraging the selling of free software then id say that idea gets a solid thumbs up.
This is explained in subsections 6a and 6b of the gpl. If you intend to use the gpl d software strictly within. In fact, the fsf maintainers of the gpl have harsh words for licenses that try to restrict use of the software in any way. Many people believe that the spirit of the gnu project is that you should not charge money for distributing copies of software, or that you should charge as little as possiblejust enough to cover the cost. If that commercial application is what youre selling, then youre giving a copy of that software in exchange for money. Most would not unless theres more than just software. In october 2014, we adopted an open core licensing model to help us generate income in a sustainable way. 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. Explaining and understanding the gnu general public license. Aug 27, 2018 gpl violations cost creality a us distributor. Selling a product thats based on an open source project is challenging. On selling exceptions to the gnu gpl free software.
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. Whoever you sell it to must be allowed to use, modify and. As a practical matter, therefore, distribution of the software under the gpl could diminish its. Top 10 gnu gpl license questions answered whitesource. Are the developers associated with companies selling gimp. This part looks at mixing gpl v3 and v2 software with software covered by other. However, if someone were to buy a copy of your software and download the sourcecode, they would be allowed to redistribute the code as long as it fell under the gpl. Selling software subject to the gpl license in download form answered by. Mar 05, 2001 this article by jerry epplin sheds some light on the issues associated with using gpl software in embedded applications, and attempts to dispel the. Its built with and comes with an awful lot of gpl d software. Nov 19, 20 this is explained in subsections 6a and 6b of the gpl.
You cant mix gpl software with other software zdnet. How does the gpl affect the licensing and selling of software. Besides the rights and conditions given by the gpl, it would also be nice but not required to mention in any advertising that the product being sold is gimp or a bundle including gimp or is derived from it. Yes, the gpl license allows users to sell the original as well as the modified software. As a practical matter, therefore, distribution of the software under the gpl could diminish its market value. Working with usedsoft offers you compelling benefits. The ethics of selling gpled software for the iphone slashdot. In this article we take a deeper look into the various factors involved in selling software online. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack. However you must make available the sources to the software. They offer the software for no cost under the terms of the gpl but then also let others pay to avoid the conditions of the license.
Except for one special situation, the gnu general public license gnu gpl has no requirements about how much you can charge for distributing a copy of free software. Apr 16, 2020 the gnu affero general public license agpl came out in 2008, as a response to some of those changes. Software licensing is a complicated topic, but knowing a little about software licensing can help you make sense of all that fine print. They are selling defective printers that the distributor must repair before shipping, and consistently drag their feet on releasing the source. Some views on the ideas of selling exceptions to free software licenses, such as the gnu gpl are also available many people believe that the spirit of the gnu project is that you should not charge money for distributing copies of software, or that you should charge as little as possiblejust enough to cover the cost. Motion to dismiss denied in recent gnu gpl case free. You can run it on any data interpreted program, any way you like, and there are no requirements about licensing that data to anyone. The biggest example so far is red hat, which started out selling copies of gpl software along with software under other open source software licenses on cd and ended up being acquired in the largest software acquisition ever. I am planning on selling software which is licensed under gpl 3.
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