Questions tagged [gpl]

The GNU's General Public License, a commonly-used free software license. The GPL has various versions, v1-v3, so use this tag only for questions talking about overarching issues of the licenses or shared characteristics. For example, for a question about a unique section on version 3, use the [gpl-3] tag.

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Using a printed format used by an application licensed under GNU GPL

I want to generate Twibright Optar compatible printed pages but I do not want to license my project under GNU GPL license. The format is simple enough to make a completely new generator tool in few ...
user3368561's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is dual licensing a software that contains gpl programs possible?

I have seen that there is a question about gpl and dual licensing, but I know copyleft can behave different depending on the shape of the software. so here's my question: I have a package of lua ...
KGM's user avatar
  • 197
2 votes
1 answer
203 views

What means "distribution" for Open Source licenses (MIT/GPL)?

What means "distribution" for Open Source licenses MIT and GPL? Is the client side code running on user's browser "distribution" for these licenses?
Orso Nero's user avatar
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4 votes
2 answers
2k views

If I release software under the GNU GPL v3, and a new version of the GPL is released, can I change the license?

If I release software under the GNU GPL v3, and a new version of the GPL is released, can I change the license to the new version if I choose to without having to say "GNU GPL v3.0 or later"?
airsquared's user avatar
8 votes
1 answer
1k views

NDA with GPL software: can the author decide how/when to disclose?

The GPL FAQ states that is not permitted to sign NDAs when distributing software, as it would be a violation of the redistribution freedom. Let A be an entity that develops a feature on top of an ...
kronat's user avatar
  • 113
0 votes
2 answers
223 views

Is reverse-compiled assembly considered as a valid form of "source code" in GPLv2?

My project used and modified some code from project A licensed under GPLv2 written in C. Now I was wondering that if I release my compiled binary with its reverse-compiled assembly, is it GPLv2-...
lz96's user avatar
  • 179
0 votes
1 answer
324 views

If I modify JS/CSS in GPL-licensed WordPress themes/plugins for my website, do I have to include all the changes?

If I modify JavaScript/CSS in WordPress themes/plugins (GPL licensed) for my website, do I have to include all of the changes in the header of the file? I know that use css/js files in a website is a ...
Orso Nero's user avatar
  • 319
48 votes
4 answers
26k views

Is it legal to use GPL code in a proprietary, closed-source program by putting it in a separate, standalone program?

As we all know, the GNU General Public License (GPL) is a "copyleft" source license: which means it is designed not merely to make the code to which it is initially applied free and preserve its ...
The_Sympathizer's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

GPL 2 License in publishing a modified code

I'm developing a wordpress plugin for a client. I modified two different plugins (licensed under gpl2) with similar functionality and combined them into one to match my client's needs. I'm giving my ...
Mathemagician's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
157 views

Can you make GPL-licensed software using the Tizen SDK?

Unfortunately, Tizen has a proprietary SDK, as discussed here, which mandates that: You may not use any component part of the Tizen SDK in any way independent from the Tizen SDK. You may not load ...
Tin Man's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
221 views

Is the Qt Network Authentication module LGPL?

The documentation is unclear whether the QT Network Authentication module is licensed under LGPL or GPL. Has it changed recently?
Shane Gramlich's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
87 views

GPLv2 Wordpress Application - Selling

We have a customer that has built an application on top of WordPress (they are based in the UK) and intends to sell access to this software in two main forms on an international basis. A monthly ...
Freddy Wetson's user avatar
30 votes
4 answers
8k views

How does GPL apply to neural network models?

Suppose you are working on a mobile application. Because the application contains GPL licensed code, the mobile application will be licensed under GPL too. The mobile application also uses a ...
emettomet's user avatar
  • 403
6 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can GPL with linking exception be linked with GPL and non-GPL simultaneously?

Let's say I have: A GPL module with linking exception. A non-GPL module. A pure-GPL module. I know that module 1 can be linked with module 2. My questions are: Can I link module 1 with module 3? ...
oarcas's user avatar
  • 163
-1 votes
1 answer
112 views

Can I commercially use a fixed source code distributed under GPL?

There is this source code on GitHub (a PHP class, around 200 lines of code) distributed under GPL license which has some bugs and is not useful to me unless those bugs are fixed. If I fix those bugs, ...
B Faley's user avatar
  • 99
2 votes
1 answer
409 views

Having a mixed license repository with GPL and non GPL code

I have some code that I would like to integrate with a GPL licensed piece of code, my code is licensed BSD. If absolutely necessary I could license everything GPL, but if possible I would prefer to ...
johnramsden's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can LGPL 2.1 licenses software be re-published under GPL 3.0?

I have software licensed under LGPL 2.1 and I want to modify it and re-publish the whole software under the GPL 3.0 license. Is this legally possible? I think so, but I'm not completely sure. LGPL 2....
NoDataDumpNoContribution's user avatar
14 votes
2 answers
2k views

Can I post code examples with GPL software on Stack Overflow?

Suppose there is a Python library called g which is licensed under GPL v2.0 (or v3.0). Suppose further that the library is sufficiently complex that it contains some C/C++ component(s) that are ...
Pasha's user avatar
  • 586
7 votes
1 answer
170 views

Can I license Latex code under GPL but the content under CC BY-SA?

I have written a non-trivial scientific text for university. It is written in Latex and I want to make the source available under GPL (v3 if that matters) so other can learn from my Latex skills. ...
corvus_192's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
62 views

Can I write on my website and make the code private when the source code is partially copied from an open source GNU GPL V3 project [duplicate]

I've rewritten my personal website using this https://github.com/ptrpov/ptrpov . I've made some significant changes. Like I did on my previously (built from scratch) website, I'd like to add ...
Heng Puthireach's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
243 views

Extend GPL to be informed in case of derivative work

I understand that any work that is based on work licensed under GPL must also be released under GPL. However, it does not require contacting original authors about the fact that a derivative work has ...
Raven's user avatar
  • 119
4 votes
1 answer
970 views

Can I use PyQt if I make it open source and only charge customers for my time to customize the open source app for them?

I am planning to create custom made software for each customer. I will also be telling the customer that I shall be making it open source and they are simply paying me for my time to package things ...
Carl's user avatar
  • 43
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

Am I allowed to use a GPL-3 library in a closed source web application?

I am working on an Angular5 web application. It is written in Typescript, and then compiled to Javascript. This is not a real compilation, just a minification The server which serves the .js files is ...
Iter Ator's user avatar
  • 153
1 vote
1 answer
76 views

Distribution and display at fairs / exhibitions

My question is simple: is displaying an unreleased product containing open source software at an exhibition considered distribution? In particular, I am concerned about GPL obligations. If the ...
ossx's user avatar
  • 655
1 vote
0 answers
310 views

Building programs using qmake

Can I use qmake to build Non Qt programs with a closed source or MIT licence? The c++ code that I'm building does not include any Qt headers or link to any Qt libraries. The only mention of Qt in ...
Tom Paynter's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
739 views

(A)GPLv3 - 'covered work' and 'based on'. is it really viral?

In AGPLv3 and GPLv3, clause 5c says: You may convey a work based on the Program, or the modifications to produce it from the Program [only if you] license the entire work, as a whole, under this ...
piotrek's user avatar
  • 121
0 votes
1 answer
362 views

How is the FreeBSD project able to legally distribute GPLv2 software?

FreeBSD publishes "ports" (FreeBSD's term for packages) of software covered by the GPLv2, such as MySQL 5.6. The GPLv2 states: You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
283 views

Is source code required to be published if a program embeds GPL software?

ExpressVPN, a free VPN service, embeds OpenVPN and LZO inside its iOS application. These two pieces of software are both licensed under GPL. To my understanding, ExpressVPN must make source code ...
XMB5's user avatar
  • 133
1 vote
0 answers
103 views

GPL Wrapper around Closed Source Assemblies

So I have been using this software for quite some time. AdvancedHMI According to sourceforage page is is licensed under GPL v2. At AdvancedHMI.com it states How is AdvancedHMI licensed? A: ...
TheColonel26's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Is selling a cloud service based on a Docker image considered distribution from GPL's viewpoint?

I have read some topics about GPL, Docker images and distribution. As far as I understand you have to provide the source code of all GPL licensed programs within a Docker image but not your own ...
MADforFUNandHappy's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
82 views

Clarification on use of GPL open source code

I am a little confused around the restrictions surrounding my use of existing (GPL) open source code. I plan on using open source code (GPL license) to build an application - my plan is to use and ...
clarke_401's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

How do I combine MIT licence with GPL?

In my project there are a few library files that I would like to release under the MIT license. The rest of the project is released under GPL. How can I make it clear to someone who reads one of the ...
August Karlstrom's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
744 views

Can I deploy a docker-compose.yml that uses MySQL commercially?

As far as I know, I can sell to one of my clients a PHP web service that connects to a MySQL server that I host without making my PHP sources open source. This is because the PHP code only connects to ...
olidem's user avatar
  • 143
0 votes
1 answer
730 views

Using a GPL external executable within a commercial web application

I want to develop an idea for a commercial web application. To provide that service (and get paid for it), I need to use an external executable software somewhere in the process, which is licensed ...
andcl's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote
0 answers
259 views

Does video game code that uses a GPL engine have to be GPL?

Lets take a specific example. The ioquake3 engine is licensed under GPL v2, however the engine can't do anything by its self, it needs code that has been compiled into .qvm binaries in order to create ...
KroniK907's user avatar
  • 111
1 vote
1 answer
660 views

Is it permissible to install Cygwin (GNU GPL) and its packages from within an installer for a proprietary and commercially sold application?

Is it legal to package the Cygwin installer executable — and some of its corresponding packages — and run it from another installer that installs a proprietary and commercially sold application? ...
ariestav's user avatar
  • 121
4 votes
2 answers
425 views

Can a Proprietary Application Exchange Data with a GPL'd Program?

I am considering extending a proprietary application so it communicates with an open source program. This open source program is very similar to Matlab. The user can input commands to execute ...
ImageProcessingExpert's user avatar
4 votes
4 answers
4k views

Does program that uses EBPF module needs to be distributed under GPL

I have a question about eBPF and linux kernel licensing. Basically, an eBPF module is a small piece of code that is run inside Linux kernel, and can use kernel methods that are marked as GPL-only (eg. ...
Wojciech Król's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
755 views

Can I use GPL-licensed software in a commercial program?

Can I use GPL-licensed software in a commercial program? I know that the use of source code in a commercial program is forbidden but if I use system call functions for example I make the call a bash ...
user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
583 views

What additional benefits does the DCO provide?

If my project has a lax license (like Expat/MIT), I can enforce "inbound=outbound" by requiring that contributors sign off their commits in order to acknowledge the Developer Certificate of Origin. I'...
lofidevops's user avatar
  • 1,970
-2 votes
1 answer
4k views

Is it legal to multi-use a 100% GPL theme from ThemeForest?

If you go to the Google search site:https://themeforest.net/item/ This item is licensed 100% GPL, you will find a lot of GPL themes. Is it legal to use a theme which I buy once in multiple sites? (...
Mohamed Yasin's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
530 views

Proper place to include the license of a dependency

I'm developing a GPLv3 project, and i need to use both the feather's icon set, licensed with MIT license, and the PyQt5 library with GPL. I don't need to rewrite or extend any content of the these ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 131
4 votes
1 answer
331 views

Does a (L)GPL3 device still need to provide it's original service after modification?

Let's assume I am building an embedded linux device using amongst other things (L)GPLv3 software. The device is sold to non-business users so the anti tivoization clause applies. I want to be ...
Frank Meerkötter's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
283 views

VLC and VLCJ licenses

I'm confused about the licenses GPL and LGPL. I see that VLC is released under LGPL license since sept 2011: https://www.videolan.org/press/lgpl.html. But VLCJ, which is a Java wrapper on top of VLC, ...
navy1978's user avatar
  • 123
-2 votes
1 answer
86 views

Free Pascal and LGPL

I want to modify this program and compile it using Free Pascal compiler. The above program is licensed under GNU General Public License version 3. I know little about Free Pascal, and reading the FAQ ...
posfan12's user avatar
  • 109
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

What is the license of LibreOffice?

According to https://www.libreoffice.org/about-us/licenses/: LibreOffice is made available subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public License v2.0 which is reproduced below. It is based on code ...
filupin's user avatar
  • 39
7 votes
2 answers
5k views

Using a GPL header in a closed source program?

I've recently noticed that some of the userapi linux kernel headers are declared under the GPL. However, I'm pretty sure that you can include linux uapi headers in your code without your project ...
Ely's user avatar
  • 173
3 votes
1 answer
164 views

Meaning of "and" and "additionally" connectors with two Open Source licenses

[This question is an expansion of the question "Meaning of OFL and GPL" because of limits on the number of characters in comment-responses]. I am unsure of the meaning of the terms "and" and "...
Clint Goss's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
2k views

Bundling JetBrains OpenJDK in closed source software

I am developing a software that comes bundled with JDK. I am planning to use JetBrains OpenJDK for this purpose as it comes with swing support for HighDPI monitors. JetBrains OpenJDK can be found in ...
Klemen's user avatar
  • 171
5 votes
1 answer
609 views

Moving project from AGPL to Apache v2 / MIT license

The question in a nutshell Hi! Together with a team of brilliant engineers we've been building a software project (http://luna-lang.org) for the last two years and now we want to release everything ...
Wojciech Danilo's user avatar

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