The gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used open source software license, originally written by richard stallman for the gnu project. 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. Nobody is ever permitted to take it away, in contrast to trial or educational versions of commercial software that will forbid your work in commercial situations. 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. Why should i use the gnu gpl rather than other free software licenses. Gpl is for freedom to the enduser of the software, not to the developer reusing the code. Pages in category software using the gpl license the following 150 pages are in this category, out of 150 total. It is therefore often thought that gpllicensed software is unsuitable for proprietary projects. This wrapper service will provide a generic interface to utialize this library and will be licensed with gpl. 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 computer program the rights of the free software. The gpl faq list states explicitly that one can ask for license fees for software under the gpl see, e. Nobody is ever permitted to take it away, in contrast to trial or educational versions of commercial software that will.
The gpl doesnt require you to gpllicense all the software in your company. It is the licensees and only the licensees who must be granted assess to the source code. Neither does the gpl state that the source code has to be made public. If i understand it correctly, if we use a secret message format that we dont explain to anyone we could.
If, on the other hand, the gpled software has an api, and there are. 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. You cant mix gpl software with other software zdnet. In general, then, every program that is derived from gpl software exists under the terms of gpl. The gpl doesnt require you to gpllicense any software that merely connects to mysql.
Users or companies who distribute gpl licensed works e. Relationships between the gpl licences and other software are carefully explained in the gpl faq. However, businesses using gnu software in commercial activity, and people doing public ftp distribution, should need to check the real english gpl. Ffmpeg is licensed under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl version 2. 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. But the wording of both the license and the faq is misleading, and the suggestion that you can gpl your commercial software is disingenuous. Aug 26, 2008 early gpl enforcement efforts began soon after the gpl was written by richard stallman in 1989, and consisted of informal community efforts, often in public usenet discussions. My comments here are not about the validity or the great value of the gplit is an unquestionably. May 27, 2016 gpl the gnu general public license the gpl is a copyleft software licence 1 published by the usbased free software foundation. 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. Apr 17, 2010 the gpl is tactically less free, but strategically more free. The gnu affero general public license is designed specifically to ensure that, in such cases, the modified source code becomes available to the community. Its built with and comes with an awful lot of gpl d software. Hi, using a gpl licensed package in a commercial product should not be a problem, right.
Gpl software can be used anywhere, without restrictions. Gnu public license is all but free and you should never use it. Using gpl licensed packages in a commercial product ros. Software licensed with any gnu license can be used and modified everywhere, without any restrictions in private and even in corporate environments.
Frequently answered questions open source initiative. Mar 05, 2001 using gpl software in embedded applications. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain without. If youre distributing unmodified binaries along with a product you ship, then you re required to distribute the source with them, or provide a. If the company modifies gpl software, or if a part of gpl software is added to some proprietary code, then the modified work must be made freely available. The above have licenses that allow you to use them freely, without you being bound by the gpl. If you intend to use the gpl d software strictly within. I have a concern of using gpl v2 and gpl v3 licensed software in commercial production environment.
If you intend to use the gpld software strictly within. Heres an excerpt from commercial license for oems, isvs and vars. Of course, it isnt free enough for a open source read proprietary software peon like you. So if you have to buy a commercial license for things the gpl doesnt permit, what are those. If you want an example of including gpld software as part of a commercial offering, look at os x. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it. Government computer software acquisition and the gnu. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. Can i use the gplv3 license for my commercial application.
A copy of that license is included in this document on page x. Four reasons you dont want to use open source software. Gpl code buried deep in software could give rise to a demand that you release your source code. 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.
This is seldom something that developers of commercial products wish to do. The gnu general public license presents the gpls features, the di. This can be further shortened to gpl, when it is understood that the gnu gpl is the one intended. Gpl software can also be modified without restrictions, as long as the modified software is kept private. 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 gpl protects the average users freedom to run, study, modify and distribute software. Feb 17, 2009 the gpl doesnt require you to redistribute your modifications to mysql. 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. Software under the gpl may be run for all purposes, including commercial purposes and even as a tool for creating proprietary.
Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project. The choice of licence comes down to personal preference, and both approaches can. It ought not force us to release all our own software in the product under the gpl. If you do custom commercial software for a customers own use, using gpl code can work perfectly fine. I wont modify anything from source code and the architecture of the system requires the use of a load balancer. I again dont so much care about the ethics bsds just fine as i do about the commercial impact. I would like to use haproxy as a load balancing solution.
Understanding the gpl is a contract court case bruce. Remember virallyopensource licenses arent just good for you, they ensure that your work, however its adapted and rereleased is free for everybody under the same terms. The gpl doesnt require you to redistribute your modifications to mysql. In fact, the fsf maintainers of the gpl have harsh words for licenses that try to restrict use of the software in any way. Can i use this library indirectly using a wrapper servicecan be a windows service, web service, rest api etc. As a result, developers who use or distribute open source applications under the gpl can use the gpl licensed 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. Differences between gpl and lgpl when using licensed software. If you plan to distribute your application in binary form as most commercial software is distributed, you must make sure that your application doesnt use any parts of any software the gpl covers. The gnu affero general public license is designed specifically to ensure that, in such cases, the modified source. This has implications for proprietary andor commercial software developers, as many popular and important libraries are licensed under the gpl. Software licensed under the gnu general public license is free software, and all software that builds on gpllicensed components is also free and must also be licensed under the gpl.
I took an svg image from a set which is distributed under gpl 3. Gpl also does not limit commercial use, you just have to. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law center. You may copy, distribute and modify the software as long as you track changesdates of in source files and keep modifications under gpl. The choice of licence comes down to personal preference, and both approaches can have good or bad. This article by jerry epplin sheds some light on the issues associated with using gpl software in embedded applications, and attempts to dispel the. I have licensed every piece of software i have ever written under the gpl, i have been an active financial supporter of the free software foundation and software freedom conservancy and the work they do, and i advocate for the usage of the gpl. If you want an example of including gpl d software as part of a commercial offering, look at os x. If the company combines proprietary code with gpl software, and the resulting product is published as a whole work, then the same result follows. As a commercial oem, isv or var, when should i purchase a c.
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. Blenders gnu gpl license guarantees you this freedom. As long as were not linking directly towards the package, but rather just send or receive messages from it, that is. Top 10 gnu gpl license questions answered whitesource. The gpl can present a real problem for those wishing to commercialize and profit from software. The remainder of this white paper provides an overview of the gpls salient features and how those features relate to dfars software acquisitions. When are you required to have a commercial mysql license.
When using larger packages, be sure to check not only the license for that package, but for all the. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain. The customer pays for the development work and gets the code under gpl. Gpl the gnu general public license the gpl is a copyleft software licence 1 published by the usbased free software foundation. Peter created the software in 1984 to be duallicensed, in other words to have both an open source license originally the opensourcelike aladdin free public license, later the gpl and a commercial license. In any case, for more granular combinations, such as taking a c or java source file using gpl and a source file from a nongpl license and. Your application is subject to the terms of the gpl if you distribute mysql or any other gpl software with it. If you really dont care and youre not using any gpld code yourself, a more liberal license like mit would be fine. The result is that any software that uses any gpl open source component regardless of its percentage in the entire code is required to release. Stallman devised an alternative to the commercial software license and called it the gpl, or general public license. Not at allthere are many other free software licenses. So commercial software shops tend to build on mit, bsd or apache licensed stuff. You can distribute your application using a gpl library commercially, but you must also provide the source code.
If you were wondering whether you can use apache licensed code in your commercial applications and what do you need to do in order to comply with the license heres the unofficial simple ans short answer. Id also like to make it clear that it cant be used for military andor commercial uses. May 26, 2014 the gpl protects the average users freedom to run, study, modify and distribute software. Using gpllicensed components in proprietary projects.
Your application may end up using parts of other software when it calls functions in a library. This article by jerry epplin sheds some light on the issues associated with using gpl software in. Why the gpl is incompatible with commercial software. The gpl is tactically less free, but strategically more free. 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.
If you are using a connector that is not gpl, you are only bound by the license of that connector. 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. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law. If i use gpl software in my application, but dont modify or distribute it, do i have to release my application under the gpl. The gnu general public license permits making a modified version and letting the public access it on a server without ever releasing its source code to the public. You can license your commercial application under the gplv3 license as long as you. Dec 06, 2004 want to write a commercial shareware application. Jun 09, 2016 the gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used open source software license, originally written by richard stallman for the gnu project. If that commercial application is what youre selling, then youre giving a copy of that software in exchange for money. Software under the gpl may be run for all purposes, including commercial purposes and even as a tool for creating proprietary software, such as when using gpl licensed compilers. The gpl license grants the users irrevocable rights to use, modify and redistribute software even commercially under the condition that software or its derivatives retain the gpl license and that the source code is included or. Can i use gpl software binaries in commercial environment.
You would rather let freedom of the software be compromised by companies to make money and advance your career. Can i use mysql community edition in a commercial application. You can license your commercial application under the gplv3 license as long as you comply with the terms of the gplv3 license. Thus, peter made ghostscript available without charge for people who were using it in free systems and were willing to share their. The most widespread such license is the gnu general public license, or gnu gpl for short.
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