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I'm modifying the Pi-Hole project a little bit, and plan to distribute this. I want to make sure what I'm doing is 100% correct to limit/prevent any legal issues. The Pi-Hole PHP code is licensed as EUPL, and I plan on adding a new tab to the UI which includes copying/using their template/layout code and having my own code on top of that. Do I add it to the top of the page in a PHP comment?

Another question I have is the matter of source code distribution. Since the is EUPL, do I have to distribute all code that is changing/based on the Pi-Hole code? If so, do I have to make it available (i.e. you have to contact me first), or do I have to have it on my site/GitHub/etc.

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  • Is Pi-Hole a web project? Are you distributing modified versions of the Pi-Hole software to someone else, or are you just hosting a web site that runs that software somewhere (e.g. on a web server that you own or operate)?
    – Brandin
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 13:09
  • So, just a quick search seems to indicate that Pi-Hole is something that is intended to run on a Raspberry PI, so it seems the answer is "yes" that you're probably going to distribute executable code to someone.
    – Brandin
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 13:10
  • Yes, my code, as well as the original libraries code would be put onto a raspberry pie and then sent to a customer.
    – Axel Persinger
    Commented Dec 14, 2022 at 18:56

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You need to comply with all the terms of the EUPL license, which includes the obligations listed in section 5 (partially quoted here):

Attribution right: The Licensee shall keep intact all copyright, patent or trademarks notices and all notices that refer to the Licence and to the disclaimer of warranties. The Licensee must include a copy of such notices and a copy of the Licence with every copy of the Work he/she distributes or communicates. The Licensee must cause any Derivative Work to carry prominent notices stating that the Work has been modified and the date of modification.

Based on the paragraph above you will want to have a section in the UI (maybe called "About"), which includes the attribution information of the original project as well as your own modifications. You might just amend what is already there from the original authors.

Provision of Source Code: When distributing or communicating copies of the Work, the Licensee will provide a machine-readable copy of the Source Code or indicate a repository where this Source will be easily and freely available for as long as the Licensee continues to distribute or communicate the Work.

Based on the paragraph above you are required to provide the source code of your derivative work. You can do that by providing a link to your website or GitHub repository. This is not optional, you have to provide the source code. If there is enough storage on the Raspberry PI you are shipping, then you may also include the source code in its memory (Flash or thumb drive).

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  • Thanks for the in-depth reply! Is distributing source via the RPi enough if my users wouldn't have access to it normally? I.e. they only see the Pi-Hole interface, they don't get SSH onto the RPi itself.
    – Axel Persinger
    Commented Dec 16, 2022 at 10:41
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    @AxelPersinger The license says "When distributing or communicating copies of the Work, the Licensee will provide a machine-readable copy of the Source Code or indicate a repository where this Source will be easily and freely available ...". I do not know how the courts in your jurisdiction will see your solution, but if it starts to get difficult to get the code from the RasPi onto another computer, then it might not be 'easily available'.
    – Martin_in_AUT
    Commented Dec 16, 2022 at 12:40

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