Questions tagged [gpl-3]
The General Public License, offered by GNU. Use this tag if the question involves version 3 of the license.
328
questions
47
votes
12answers
10k views
Is GPL “for research purposes only” self-contradictory?
So I used a piece of software which claims to be open source and is licensed under "GPL for research purposes only".
As far as I know, GPL 2 and 3 are not themselves free, in sense that you can't ...
37
votes
2answers
3k views
Do I have to change license of fork if mainstream changes license?
I forked a repository a year ago, which at the time had GPLv3 license. Mainstream repository has now applied AGPLv3 license. Do I have to change my license too ? My fork's last commit is over a year ...
35
votes
2answers
4k views
Minified GPL code inside Javascript webapp
This answer on Chess Stack Exchange comes from the lead developer of a webapp for learning chess that integrates a version of Stockfish (a popular chess-playing program released under GPLv3) ...
35
votes
6answers
2k views
Can I copy-paste a snippet from Stack Overflow into my GNU-GPL project?
I have found on Stack Overflow a 10-lines block of code that does exactly what I want.
There is no license information in the post nor on the answerer's profile page, so the CC BY-SA 3.0 license of ...
28
votes
4answers
7k views
Can I use my own GPL'ed code in my closed source program?
Let's say that program A was made by me, with me being the sole copyright holder. If I license this program under the GPL-3.0, can I use that program in program B that is closed source?
28
votes
7answers
4k views
Embedding GPL code in proprietary software
Here's a tricky situation that I didn't encounter before:
My company embeds a piece of slightly modified GPLv3 code into their otherwise proprietary application. They don't link a library or ...
26
votes
4answers
5k views
Can an NDA block GPL freedom number 4?
Let's say a company modifies a GPLv3 software. All it's employees can use the modified software and have access to the modified source code.
The company's employees don't have the right to distribute ...
24
votes
2answers
12k views
What exactly is Tivoization and why did Linus Torvalds not like it in GPLv3?
I still don't understand what is Tivoization and why Linus Torvalds did not like it. Can you explain to me the big idea of Tivoization?
24
votes
3answers
15k views
If I'm using a GPL 3 library in my project, can I license my project under MIT license?
If I'm using a library that is licensed under GPL v3 in my project, can I license my project under the MIT license? I tried to read the GPL v3 text but I cannot understand it without your assistance.
22
votes
3answers
8k views
Can I ignore an open source license if I checkout a version that was released prior to the code having any license?
There's a package on Github that was released fully without any license and it stayed this way for close to a year. Then just recently after no updates since the initial commit, a License was added. ...
22
votes
1answer
1k views
Can I release under AGPL a program that uses a GPL library?
I just wrote a program that embeds and uses a GNU-GPL library (GPLv3 or at your discretion any later version).
Can I release my program under the GNU AGPL v3 license?
22
votes
1answer
5k views
What are the differences between GPL V2 and V3 licenses?
One of the most widely used and most popular free and open source software licences is the General Public License. I want to know in simple terms: what are the differences between GPL Version 2 and ...
20
votes
2answers
3k views
If an employee modifies a copy of a GPLv3-licensed open source library, is the modified copy intellectual property of the company?
There is a GPLv3-licensed open source library on GitHub which is used by the company I work for in a central component of the business. The business does not sell software, but only a manipulation of ...
20
votes
3answers
690 views
Is the code generated from a GPLv3 EBNF grammar a derivative work?
So, I'm really unclear on this situation and what it means.
I have an EBNF-based grammar file that we use for our project.
This EBNF grammar describes rules for parsing/lexing a document (e.g. some ...
20
votes
1answer
506 views
What are the licensing terms of the text of the GPL?
The text of the GPLv3 starts with the following disclaimer:
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this
license document, but changing it is not allowed.
What does this ...
18
votes
3answers
4k views
Can I publish a GPL source I'm being paid for to develop?
For a popular program licensed under GPL3, a system of plugins exists. The program and the plugins are closely interoperable and exchange large structures of data, so the plugins will necessarily be ...
18
votes
3answers
2k views
How do I upgrade from GPLv2 to GPLv3?
Consider I've written a program and released it under the GNU GPL version 2. Now I want to release it under the GNU GPL version 3. Let's call this "upgrading the license". Is this possible? How do I ...
17
votes
4answers
6k views
Can others monetize my project with GPLv3?
I currently have a web game under the GNU General Public License v3.0 open sourced on GitHub. Recently I found out that someone else had forked the repository and is setting up AdSense on their ...
16
votes
3answers
3k views
Can I insist on GPL version 3.0 terms when requesting GPL code from an embedded manufacturer?
I have an embedded device that contains software licensed under the GPL version 2.0 'or any later version'. The company that produced it never released any GPL code, and I plan to request it from them....
16
votes
4answers
1k views
Using GPL code in an application that is offered to a single client as source code
My situation:
I have a continuous contract with a single client for "IT services".
I am developing a web application that is completely custom to their needs.
As part of the agreement the application ...
16
votes
2answers
9k views
Does GPLv3 require attribution?
I believe that GNU GPLv3 does not require attribution, but can be supplemented to do so, as stated in the additional terms (7. b) of the terms and conditions.
However, it also states, under the ...
15
votes
5answers
4k views
Use GPLv3 library in a closed system (no software distribution)
I'm developing a software that will be preinstalled in a headless PC. The user will see the "output" of the software processing (sent with a given protocol via ethernet), and can configure some ...
14
votes
4answers
11k views
Is keeping the forking link on a true fork necessary? (Github/GPL)
This question is about a true fork (with new name, different features, different objectives and not targeting a pull request).
When I am developing a new application based on an other project I ...
14
votes
3answers
2k views
How does one combine differently licensed code in one open source program?
I'm the author of WorldPainter. It's licensed according to the GPL v3, but I am about to include some code (dynmap) that is licensed according to the Apache License version 2.0.
According to both ...
13
votes
4answers
3k views
If someone purchases a MIT license for code that is otherwise GPLv3, may they redistribute it? May they upload it on Github?
A fellow developer has done something that has made me curious, he has a popular javascript front-end package on GitHub which for years was licensed under MIT, then all of a sudden he released a v2 ...
13
votes
2answers
2k views
Is Apple allowed to distribute GPLv3-licensed software through its iOS App Store?
This question is specifically about GPLv3, LGPLv3, and Apple's App Store for iOS devices. Given
the additional restrictions Apple imposes on iOS users (i.e. not allowing them to modify and run GPLv3 ...
13
votes
1answer
283 views
What restrictions can I place on a device whose software is licensed using GPL v3?
Let's say I'm selling a device with my software pre installed whose license is GPL v3. I want to prevent an unauthorized OS from being installed. According to GPL v3, I will have to share the private ...
13
votes
2answers
8k views
Can a non-GPL python program use GPL Python module?
Suppose I have a Python library which is distributed under the GPL license. I would like to use that library in my program, that I may eventually want to distribute under non-GPL terms.
The library ...
13
votes
1answer
430 views
Is a screenshot with GPL3 resources, GPL3?
With, say, a commercial game (Kerbal Space Program in this instance) with user mods, that are themselves GPL3 licenced and have an effect on the visuals of a screenshot (e.g. art assets, images, ...
13
votes
2answers
579 views
Is Geogebra's “non-commercial only GPL3” license valid?
The license for Geogebra says:
You are free to copy, distribute and transmit GeoGebra for non-commercial purposes. Non-commercial use is subject to the terms of our GeoGebra Non-Commercial ...
12
votes
1answer
4k views
Can I change the license of a forked project to the MIT if the license of the parent project has changed from the GPL to the MIT?
Some time ago I have forked a project on the GitHub that used the GNU GPL v3 license. So I also had to use the GPL license in my fork.
Recently, the author of the original project changed license to ...
12
votes
1answer
871 views
How can I properly fork a project that is dual-licensed AGPL/Commercial?
I'd like to use UniPDF, which is a Go project to handle PDF documents, in my project.
UniPDF has a dual license: AGPL and commercial while my project is licensed under the GPLv3.
I'd like to fork ...
12
votes
1answer
144 views
How is the GPL3 for GNU coreutils satisfied when I pull a docker image?
I would like to learn more about satisfying GPL3 object code distribution requirements with a hopefully simple enough example.
I download a docker image for e.g. Debian from hub.docker.com with
...
12
votes
1answer
816 views
What exactly is the issue in Microsoft-Novell agreement?
I'm trying to understand what constitutes the issue in Microsoft-Novell agreement, and why is it so important that GPLv3 has a special clause to address such agreements in the future.
So far I ...
11
votes
1answer
2k views
Does “open source” always mean “open access”?
I will frame my question with a concrete example:
HELYX is a software based on another software OpenFOAM. OpenFOAM is an open-source freely-accessible software distributed with GPLv3 licence.
HELYX ...
11
votes
2answers
433 views
What counts as adaptation for using code licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 in software licensed under GPLv3?
Since 2015-10-08, GPLv3 is listed as one-way compatible license for CC BY-SA 4.0:
[…] you may license your contributions to adaptations of BY-SA 4.0 materials under GPLv3, but you may not license ...
11
votes
1answer
743 views
Is the Facebook BSD+Patents licence (aka “The React Licence”) compatible with the GPL?
Is the Facebook BSD+Patents licence compatible with the GPL (GPLv3), in the sense that one could:
use code licensed under BSD+Patents, as part of a project, the rest of which you write yourself (own ...
10
votes
2answers
3k views
Can I share a cracked version of a program originally under GPL v3?
The original program is open sourced under GPL v3, but asks for a fee to use it. I did not pay for it, but I'd like to share the no-fee version I compiled with my college friends (obviously under GPL ...
10
votes
5answers
3k views
Is it possible to change the current GPLv3 license to something else?
Essentially I am just testing out stuff, here is my situation:
I am developing a program which consists of several code files. I made a public repository on github where I regularly update those files....
10
votes
1answer
3k views
Is it legal to bundle Oracles JRE with an open source program?
Is it legal to bundle Oracles JRE together with the binaries of a (non commercial) open source program (GPLv3)?
10
votes
4answers
2k views
If a project is released under GPLv3+ and GPLv4 is less restrictive what happens?
I've seen in multiple places project owners choosing to stick with GPLv2 to prevent the FSF from releasing a license that the project owners don't agree with but I've never seen reasoning beyond the ...
10
votes
1answer
2k views
Is it possible to restrict GNU GPLv3 to non-commercial use only?
I've noticed that the jQuery plugin "Fancybox" has a peculiar licensing note in its header:
// Licensed GPLv3 for open source use
// or fancyBox Commercial License for commercial use
//
// http://...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
Does the GNU GPL 3 prohibit DRM?
Is DRM, which some spell as "Digital Rights Management", others as "Digital Restriction Management", allowed by the GPL? In other words, can software that implements DRM be licensed under the GPL? ...
10
votes
2answers
3k views
If my R package uses GPL packages, does mine automatically inherit GPL?
I've built an R package that uses a mix of libraries licensed under GPL-2 and GPL-3. From what I've read, because of this dependency, my package will also have to be GPL.
See here: https://www.gnu....
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Why is the definition of “System Libraries” in GPLv3 phrased the way it is?
I'm curious about the definition of "System Libraries"
The “System Libraries” of an executable work include anything, other than the work as a whole, that (a) is included in the normal form of ...
9
votes
2answers
1k views
GPL code behind a registration form
My employer wants to publish a paper about software and make it open-source under the GPL, but they want to know who is interested and downloads it.
Is it legal to ask people to fill in a regular ...
9
votes
2answers
4k views
Hardware with GPL firmware
I would like to know if selling a hardware product which runs a firmware is considered as conveying that firmware.
For example, if I want to use a GPLv3 library statically linked with my own code, I ...
9
votes
1answer
505 views
Can I preserve exceptions in GPL 3?
GPL 3 allows adding additional clauses, such as exceptions, as long as such exceptions grant additional privileges. But if I distribute software under GPL 3 with exceptions, are those exceptions ...
9
votes
1answer
1k views
Is every license that is GPLv3-compatible also AGPLv3-compatible?
The GPLv3 and AGPLv3 are quite similar. They differ only by
an additional requirement in the AGPL that makes a network service powered by a modified AGPL-licensed work operates like conveyance of the ...
9
votes
1answer
108 views
Can we keep the components of a derivative work open source, but allow the work as a whole to be closed?
We are creating a repository of resources so that people can build software or create videos or artwork using our material as their basis. We are making a virtual Moon colony and a website of related ...
