All Questions
4,281
questions
1
vote
0
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18
views
GPLv3 and executables in GPLv3
I created a GPLv3 project that uses functions from several libraries and geckodriver.exe with different licenses (MIT, Apache 2.0, BSD3, MPL 2.0 (all GPL compliant)):
I put the code and copy of ...
- 11
4
votes
1
answer
121
views
Copyleft licensed part inside permissive software
Assume somebody writes software and distributes it to customers. Since any dependency under a copyleft license (such as the GPL) would require putting the whole software under a copyleft license, ...
- 43
2
votes
1
answer
173
views
Using AGPL package for a SaaS?
Assuming my SaaS is not a play on "managed hosted version of <agpl software>".
Meaning, I just call the AGPL software without modifying it (binary call/import) - using it to get some ...
- 145
1
vote
1
answer
30
views
LGPL library and proprietary dependencies / references
I'd like to use LGPL library for one of my projects. The problem is I need to modify several methods and call there platform-dependent functions covered by NDA.
Is there a way to do it legally without ...
- 11
5
votes
1
answer
334
views
Software licence description doesn't match AGPL licence limitations
In my research of AGPL I have found that creating REST API around AGPL licensed library is enough to make it communication at arms length and as such it bypasses the need to publish all of your ...
- 53
-1
votes
0
answers
59
views
Which open source company proritised large clients? [closed]
Not sure if I imagined it, but was/is there a FOSS company that used the freemium model outlined below?
They freely gave out their software to the public - but since it was so complicated to use, they ...
- 107
2
votes
0
answers
32
views
Can software be distributed WITHOUT a licence? [duplicate]
Inspired by the "crayon" licence question - what if I'm the kind of individual who finds this whole copyright business infinitely annoying and frustrating, and don't want to deal with ...
- 121
2
votes
1
answer
45
views
Issues with contributing the same code to projects who only accept different licenses
I made some cool code that I want to contribute to both Android Open Source Project (AOSP) and other Linux distos, and perhaps even upstream at the Linux Kernel.
The problem is that AOSP says that ...
- 158
9
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Can I make my own license? [duplicate]
I was getting frustrated because I really wanted to use a GPL Family license for a piece of software I am developing. However, some of my target audience, OS Developers, are closed source (looking at ...
- 158
1
vote
0
answers
23
views
Can an individual be held responsible if their code is used maliciously? [migrated]
For a while now, I have been interested in viruses, backdoors, etc. As a result, I've started to tinker around with techniques on how to go undetectable for educational/personal purposes. I'd like to ...
- 11
-1
votes
0
answers
55
views
Can an opensource license migrated to commercial license? [duplicate]
Many companies especially early-stage companies, prefer to use open-source software/libraries provided that it is supported by good foundations or companies such as Apache, etc.
Can open-source ...
- 9
0
votes
1
answer
59
views
FOSS License Compatibility
I have been struggling to understand license compatibility and how it manifests.
Two examples:
1- i have a program to which i wrote the codebase. this codebase then dynamically links to two different ...
- 131
1
vote
1
answer
79
views
Am I required to list the MIT library I'm using in my telegram bot application description? [duplicate]
What responsibilities do I have to fulfill when using an MIT-licensed library in proprietary software? How do I specify a license if my project is not distributed anywhere on sites, etc, and is a ...
- 23
1
vote
0
answers
76
views
Confusion about Licenses
I have confusion about how the GNU open source licenses and QT commercial licenses.
In the QT's pricing page it says:
Can I distribute Qt binaries in conjunction with my desktop or mobile application?...
- 11
-3
votes
1
answer
63
views
According to this web site unless I am sharing or selling my website code I dont have to attribute anything about the mit license, is that truth?
This is the answers I am refering to:
https://discourse.gohugo.io/t/how-to-put-the-themes-mit-license-information-on-my-website/32001.
Edit: They talk about a difference between serving in a web page ...
- 1
-2
votes
4
answers
124
views
Is having an entirely open-source website a stupid idea?
I may or may not be participating in an argument and I hold the idea that a 100% open-source website is not a great idea. Suppose you are running a website with millions of users signed up. Is it ...
-3
votes
0
answers
62
views
I add a third_party_license.text next to me index file of my react app build, is that enough to fullfill the legal requirement of a MIT license? [duplicate]
I don´t understand how to fulfill the legal requirement of a MIT license. I am not using links or anything else just a .txt file in my build.
Edit: The license talk about include not display, so my ...
- 1
-2
votes
0
answers
26
views
Web Design. If I have my own code that I wrote but used a library does my entire site automatically become MIT licensed
Sorry in advance but I couldn't find a definitive answer to this.
I am currently designing a website and used AOS (Animate on Scroll) and Swiperjs. Now both of these have the MIT license and to put it ...
- 1
0
votes
0
answers
31
views
Would it make sense to build an open source project around a paid AWS service?
I'm thinking of creating a web app (details of which I'll give later) with the intention of participating in a hackathon hosted by Hashnode in conjunction with AWS Amplify (link: https://townhall....
0
votes
0
answers
20
views
Citing list of words from an open source project [duplicate]
I'm working on a word game and used a list of words from this repo: https://github.com/derekchuank/high-frequency-vocabulary. It is under the MIT license. How can I cite this list when I publish it to ...
- 1
2
votes
0
answers
39
views
Which licence to use when writing a program based on an existing one?
Say program A is licensed under GNU GPL 2.0. I write a new program (B) which is heavily inspired by A. Both do pretty much the same thing with some small differences (B has a couple of old features ...
- 21
1
vote
2
answers
95
views
Does an open-source license depend on dependencies which are not part of a repo itself?
In github I have a software repository which uses libraries at install time. These libraries are not included in the repository itself, but they are downloaded and installed when I install my tool (e....
- 156
-2
votes
1
answer
58
views
How to choose a license for a github open-source software?
I want to create a public github repository of a library/software.
This library/software depends on other software/libraries (e.g. matplotlib for python projects).
How do I choose a license for my ...
- 156
-4
votes
0
answers
30
views
What is the licensing for Chrome OS, and are there FOSS alternates?
What, exactly, is the licensing for Google's Chrome OS? Is Chromium OS an open source descendant or cousin?
Asked in the context of running Chrome OS in a VM on Linux.
See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/...
1
vote
1
answer
53
views
How to distribute licenses of linked DLL libraries along with the release?
I'm working on a side-project for C# based Windows Desktop app which depends on following two open source components (DLL libraries):
Newtonsoft JSON library - MIT license.
SQLite.NET library - ...
- 975
3
votes
1
answer
57
views
Do old versions of code get relicensed when newer versions of the code are relicensed under a more permissive license?
An open source software is developed in a publicly-accessible source code repository. Starting from the first commit, the source code is licensed under the GPLv3. There is only one copyright holder. ...
- 611
14
votes
2
answers
3k
views
MIT License Violation caused by copying source code partially or fully
I have a project on GitHub licensed under MIT. Some other person contributed to another unknown-to-me organisation on GitHub two months ago with a commit which copies a part of my code with just a few,...
- 243
0
votes
0
answers
38
views
Open source HTML/CSS/JAVA code under GPLv3 license - implication if used for public company website?
I would like to use some open source HTML/CSS/JAVA code under a GPLv3 license to feed into my company website (start up).
I am not 100% clear whether I can use the open source code or at which stage I ...
- 11
1
vote
2
answers
84
views
Automatically converted code from one language to another changes the license of a code?
I have code in a language and want to convert it automatically using a tool to another language.
Is it considered a derivative work and should I follow the same license?
Does it matter if it is MIT ...
- 113
6
votes
1
answer
688
views
Ran into "GNU Lesser General Public version 2" in a copyright notice - what license is this? LGPL 2? LGPL 2.1? Or...?
Long story short, I'm working on building the debian/copyright file for a massive package, and have ran into the following rather confusing phrase in the copyright header of one of the source code ...
12
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Etiquette for an incorrect Pull Request
I recently made a PR on GitHub to a repo of a tutorial since I thought one of the comments was incorrect; but I was mistaken.
One of the contributors commented asking how it was incorrect. What's the ...
- 123
4
votes
1
answer
146
views
How do I attribute someone whose design, but not code, I based my stuff on?
I am writing a program and it is open source on GitHub. Part of this program is a file system, and I used an open-source file system called the "Simple File System" as design inspiration. My ...
1
vote
0
answers
54
views
What is the license of Firefox browser console debug panel?
It needs to be included in the documentation, and in a fit of paranoia I started thinking about its copyright status
Usually Commons documentation is useful but https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/...
15
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Is it legal to remove a contributor's name from the licence?
User Mark makes repository A and releases the code under the MIT license with their name in the license. User Jeff forks the repository makes some improvements and adds their name to the license file (...
- 153
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Why don't open source licenses give a more specific definition of "derivative works" to reduce ambiguity?
The Free Software Foundation is of the opinion that a program that links a library is a derivative work of that library, so a program that links to a GPL-licensed library would need to be distributed ...
- 611
5
votes
1
answer
453
views
Having one sub folder in a GitHub repo under a different license than the whole repo
I have a repo in GitHub which contains many different projects, each in its own folder and right now the license for this repo is Apache License 2.0.
Now I want to add another project to this repo, ...
0
votes
1
answer
43
views
Is attribution necessary even if not distributed?
With permissive licenses requiring attributions (MIT, BSD, etc.), are attributions ONLY required if the OSS is distributed?
- 9
4
votes
1
answer
535
views
Can I use Wikipedia's category tree in my website?
I have extracted Wikipedia's category tree, and I want to use it on a website I am working on. The category tree will be used to help users assign categories and in a few recommendation algorithms.
My ...
- 143
1
vote
0
answers
53
views
What is the difference between the 2-clause and 3-clause BSD license?
The only difference between the text of the 3-Clause BSD License and the 2-Clause BSD License is that the 3-Clause BSD License has this additional clause:
Neither the name of the copyright holder nor ...
- 611
0
votes
0
answers
35
views
Qt Licensing for non profit open source software
I am developing software with a non profit organization and we would like to use the Qt framework to provide a GUI. This will be open source and free for everyone, for ever. Will we need to purchase a ...
1
vote
0
answers
36
views
Licensing in a scripting language - Copyleft
I am trying to understand when and where the copyleft of GPL v2|v3 applies, similar to this OS question.
The way I understand it, is that if a derivative work is created AND distributed, copyleft ...
- 111
0
votes
1
answer
86
views
How can Apple distribute Bash (and other GPL v2 software) with macOS? Is it not a derivative work?
And how could they license Darwin as APSL if based on GPL v2 software?
See
- 119
6
votes
2
answers
471
views
Can I use the SPDX License Identifier in place of the full text of a file-based license?
I am planning to release my code under the terms of the Universal Permissive License (UPL), Version 1.0. According to UPL's FAQ, it is recommended that I include the entire text of the license at the ...
- 611
3
votes
2
answers
77
views
Does the EPL 2.0 allow recipients to use code under the terms of any later version of the license?
Does the Eclipse Public License 2.0 (EPL 2.0) allow recipients of code licensed under the EPL 2.0 to use the code under the terms of a newer version of the EPL? For example, when the Eclipse Software ...
- 611
0
votes
0
answers
58
views
What happens if I allow "any later version" of a license but later versions violate the spirit of the original license? [duplicate]
Some software are released under the GPLv3 "or (at your option) any later version".
Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0) allows recipients of the software to use MPL-2.0 or any later version:...
- 611
13
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What is needed to develop a Windows open source graphics driver?
Why is there no open source graphics (means today's AMD and Intel GPUs) driver for Windows which have at least the same level of functionality and performance as the open source Linux drivers?
Except ...
- 237
3
votes
1
answer
59
views
How to use code under the Apache 2.0 license in an Unlicense-licensed project?
I'm the author of an open source project which is licensed under the Unlicense license. I want to modify an HTML file from another open source project that uses the Apache 2.0 license, and add the ...
- 33
4
votes
1
answer
62
views
How to comply with Apache 2.0 requirement to state that changes have been made to a file
I have made a copy of an open source project that is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license, and I have made modifications to some of its files. I want to release my modified version to the general ...
- 611
3
votes
1
answer
62
views
Why can't the author be anonymous when code is licensed under the Eclipse Public License?
From the Eclipse Public License (EPL) 1.0 FAQ and the EPL 2.0 FAQ:
Can a Contributor remain anonymous?
No. Except for those who simply redistribute the Program, each Contributor must identify itself ...
- 611
8
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Can MongoDB, Inc. really licence its wire protocol?
Reading through this page on MongoDB website it states:
This MongoDB Wire Protocol Specification is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License. ...
