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Can I take an open source app (chat app) under The GNU General Public License v3.0 and implements it as a feature in a bigger app, I will not make modification on the source code, will I have to provide the big app code as open source under The GNU General Public License v3.0? and if I did modify, will I have to provide the big project code as source code or just the chat part that I modified?

The big app is more like an Uber app.

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The GPL requires you to provide the source code of a program if:

  • you give someone else a copy of that program, and
  • the program includes GPL-covered code

Then, the entire source code for the program must be provided so that other people can make their own versions, and the program as a whole must be licensed under the GPL. However, individual components could use compatible licenses such as MIT.

The GPL always applies to an entire program, not only to individual components or libraries.

Integrating a GPL chat app into another app, would most likely subject the entire app to the GPL, and require you to publish the source code, if you let other people install that app.

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