Questions tagged [licensing]
Licensing refers to applying a license to an area of software. Only use this tag if your question concerns the application of a license to an area of interest. If your question concerns a specific license, use the tag that corresponds to your license. For more general questions, use this tag.
745
questions
2
votes
1answer
222 views
Including 3rd party libraries in my code
My question is regarding the legal aspect of including free open source 3rd party libraries in my commercial software. As an example, I have used the c# library MySqlBackup.NET to be able to backup ...
2
votes
1answer
274 views
How can I structure my program to honor the AGPL and a proprietary license scheme?
I am writing an HTML5/JavaScript app (A) with a closed-source license, into which I wish to import data from third-party program (B). I wrote a library to read (B)'s data files, but as it is a ...
18
votes
2answers
11k views
What is the point of including the MIT copyright text if you use someone's code licensed under MIT?
I'm confused as to what this license really means.
Say I have a large piece of software I plan on selling and keeping closed source. It makes use of several small resources that are under the MIT ...
7
votes
1answer
53 views
Can source code that is intended to be used with something with a restrictive license, still be licensed anyway the author wants?
If you make something that is to be used by something with a restrictive license (but not actually included in your work) can your work still have any license?
This question asks about restrictive ...
10
votes
3answers
791 views
Is there a one-stop guide to choose a licence? [closed]
Do you know of a guide that walks you through the choosing of a licence?
19
votes
2answers
2k views
Are licenses irrevocable by default?
I've noticed that some FOSS licenses explicitly mention that they are irrevocable (as long as their conditions are met) and others are silent on this point. Does this matter? Are the licenses that don'...
4
votes
0answers
101 views
Would the Oracle v. Google lawsuit imply that any API can be re-implemented, including hardware CPU ISAs? [closed]
EDIT: this was migrated to: https://law.stackexchange.com/questions/10945/would-the-oracle-v-google-lawsuit-imply-that-any-api-can-be-re-implemented-inc
I understood that the lawsuit implies that ...
6
votes
1answer
575 views
Can I use/distribute LGPL command line software in mine that isn't LGPL?
I've developed a little software that use FFmpeg in command line mode.
To further clarify: My software launch several times ffmpeg.exe that is stored inside the same folder as my .exe.
User never ...
8
votes
2answers
791 views
Why do almost all open source licenses require attribution?
Almost all popular open source licenses require derivative works to give attribution to the original author(s). The only exceptions I'm aware of are the nearly-public-domains ones (CC0, WTFPL, ...
3
votes
2answers
820 views
Referencing nuget packages that are licensed under the Apache 2.0 license?
I created my first open-source project a few weeks ago. I have never done anything like that and have no idea, how to license and how to use licensed stuff. I researched a bit and found that it would ...
2
votes
1answer
36 views
Should project analysis documents be packaged along with software?
Analysis documents can be useful to see how a project has been designed from a more abstract point of view.
However, would there be any potential downsides on packaging these along with some software ...
4
votes
2answers
146 views
Under what conditions can someone dual licence existing works?
When software is diffused under an open-source licence I imagine that a project becomes the "intellectual property" of the community.
However, I'm not clear about this answer in that an author agrees ...
0
votes
2answers
68 views
Are there maven-plugins with licenses that prevent their use in open source projects?
Are there maven-plugins that should not be used in opensource projects?
Because their license restricts that
Because they add code
...
In other words: Is it save to ignore the plugins when looking ...
5
votes
2answers
71 views
Does the license of a released product / artifact change with the content of a webpage?
Many products / artifacts point to a webpage to declare their license.
e.g. http://www.antlr.org/license.html.
The content of the webpage can change at any time.
Does that mean that already published ...
4
votes
1answer
1k views
Can I legally use code I found on a forum?
I want to write an R package and release on CRAN. But I have concerns about legal issues: licensing and authorship/ownership.
Code of some functions in the package will be derived from or based on ...
4
votes
1answer
95 views
Including (small portions of) code copied from the internet, in a project with GPL?
I've been starting to put my code on Github. I added the GNU Public License to most repos. Am I allowed to add spinets of code from the internet that doesn't have a license? For example if I used this ...
4
votes
1answer
58 views
Do licenses actually apply to the source code or product itself?
I'm new to licensing and want to clarify something. Do licenses (such as Apache, MIT, GNU General Public etc.) apply to the source code or the (compiled) program?
I thought it applied to the source ...
4
votes
2answers
243 views
Can you use your own work in a closed source product if it's licensed under the GPL?
I'm new to licenses and don't really understand the difference between the license choices on GitHub.
If you license your own work under the GNU General Public License, does this mean you wouldn't be ...
10
votes
1answer
409 views
Am I forced to release my project under GPL, even though no GPL source is included?
Recently I ran into a GPL license related problem and I heard many people claiming many different things. I made this post to get this cleared up for myself.
Situation There is a program which is ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
License when building a package in R: adjusted function from an existing package
I have recently adjusted a function from an existing package in R, which is licensed under GPL (>=2). If I now put the adjusted function in a package, so that other people can use it, do I have to put ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Can I use Oracle's JDBC driver in an MIT licenced project?
I have decided to make a project of mine free and open source under the MIT licence. This project uses Oracle's JDBC driver. My question is am I able to include ojdbc in my Github project and if so, ...
3
votes
1answer
433 views
Licencing my project while considering dependencies
I'm considering licencing my projects under the Unlicence licence, but I'm not sure if this is allowed when I have dependencies. For example if my project depends on a GPL or Apache or BSD project, ...
1
vote
1answer
148 views
What license is portlet-api.jar in version 1.0?
I'm using portlet-api.jar within my maven project, but I can't find any hint on an applicable license. Is it public domain? And if so, is it written down somewhere?
<dependency>
<groupId&...
3
votes
2answers
169 views
Sun Community Source License
Reference: http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/scsl-1-1-149938.txt
I have a few questions about what I am allowed to do to stuff under this license.
Forking
I think what I'm generally allowed to ...
2
votes
1answer
385 views
What is the licensing for ART (Android Runtime)?
Dalvik was licensed under the ASL on the premise that it was reverse engineered:
Licensing and patents Main article: Oracle v. Google
Dalvik is published under the terms of the Apache License ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Is it possible to make closed source code while using the following libraries?
I am not good at Licensing issues. So my question -
If my program is using these libraries (only linking like -ludev, -lblkid, -lcrypto, -lssl, -fopenmp) -
libudev (LGPL version 2.1 of the License, ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Derived work of BSD licensed software, how do I indicate this?
I found a javascript module (file), which contains two functions, and I would like to modify it under the terms of its BSD license. I'm happy for the resulting source file to be declared derived work ...
2
votes
1answer
119 views
Can we edit Google Android sample project and create app
I searched all over the Internet but I was not able to find if anyone has raised this issue. I want to edit some files in an open source sample project provided by Google (change some methods and the ...
1
vote
1answer
49 views
What license to use while using GPL/LGPL source code?
There is an application A. It uses the GPL license.
There is another application B that takes all of A's code and improvises it. In its repo, both GPL and LGPL license can be found.
We are building an ...
1
vote
1answer
59 views
Copyright on derived software under EPL license v1.0
I recently modified software code licensed under EPL v1.0. Can I remove the original copyright and add my own copyright ?
10
votes
1answer
836 views
How does AGPL affect Microservices?
So if I had a microservice architecture and one of my services relied on a piece of AGPL software, and that service wasn't customer facing, but a service that communicated with it was, would I be ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
Using Neo4j Community edition in commercial applications
I am not sure about what is allowed license-wise in the use of Neo4j Community Edition.
Can i use it in closed-source commercial applications ?
What i'm allowed to do with the community edition in ...
5
votes
1answer
101 views
Is a binary compatible interface to a proprietary spec proprietary
I am putting together some code that will use the Steinbergs VST3 specification and it has occurred to me that it would make a nice open source project. Most that exist are a bit old and are based on ...
1
vote
1answer
174 views
Distribute SWF (binary) files with open source license?
Is it possible to distribute binary files using any open source or Creative Commons license? In particular, I have several Flash videos (.swf files) whose sources (.fla files) are not available/lost. ...
6
votes
1answer
432 views
For Software based on GPL library should I have to release software under GPL license or can I use MIT
I am currently building a generic rest framework and using Jersey and Grizzly as frameworks to build upon. Originally I planned to release (for commercial or public/private use) it under MIT license ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
What happens if I use a FOSS library and distribute my program with the proprietary license?
As I said in the title I have created a software that contains a library that has FOSS license..
1) can I distribute my project with proprietary license (either sell it or give it for free) ?
2) If ...
1
vote
2answers
116 views
Licensing for a pre-alpha software which is intended to be eventually released open source
I want to release a pre-alpha software for preview. I do not want to put the code in an open repository like GitHub yet because it is just a prototype and I intend to re-design parts. The package I am ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Combining GPL with non-commercial license
I've been a hobbyist programmer for a long time, and only recently have I been writing code I've thought others might benefit from. Here's my conundrum: I'm a big supporter of the GPL, and I ...
6
votes
1answer
355 views
Who owns the copyright to code which the author was paid to write?
For example, the repository owner owns the app, publishes the partial source code, and creates few tasks supported by some bounty to write some new components (such as new functions, classes, etc.).
...
0
votes
1answer
153 views
Would I violate anything if I use vlclib for android in my closed-source app?
I'm developing a video player and I want to use vlclib for android for better codec support.
I have some questions in mind regarding use of the library in my project.
Would I violate anything if I ...
4
votes
1answer
556 views
Front-End vs Back-end vs Redistributions - Must I disclose my source?
A couple of the gems that I'm using in my rails backend are MIT licensed and I do want to go commercial with this app - that being said the MIT license requires that I include the copyright and ...
7
votes
2answers
1k views
What happens if I use a GPL licensed jQuery plugin without a licence on my website?
I like the jQuery Isotope plugin and I want to use it on my website. I was wondering if it was OK to use it without a licence.
It's licensed under either GPLv3 as an open-source license, or there's a ...
5
votes
3answers
144 views
Would this scenario be considered “propagation without conveying” according to the GPLv3 terminology?
I have a fancy software "foo" that may be considered the derivative work of a GPLv3 library. "foo" is GPLv3 itself.
Example 1: I install the foo binary on my company's laptop, go to a customer's ...
11
votes
1answer
498 views
What is the license of the scaffolding files Visual Studio generates automatically?
I know this question is utterly silly for a developer, but apparently the legal dept. is getting paid to have a common sense that's ... different from ours.
So here is my question:
What license ...
5
votes
2answers
999 views
Does the MIT license's right to “sublicense” allow me to change the license of someone else's work?
I understand that, generally speaking, you may not issue a license on a copyrighted work if you do not own the copyright to that work. Licensing is an exclusive right of the copyright holder. Instead, ...
8
votes
4answers
783 views
Does physically removing GPL code relieve combined work from GPL publication requirements?
Here's the scenario. Alice crafted a compression library and published it under GPL. Bob crafted a font processing library which uses pieces of code from Alice's library and ... let's call it overly ...
14
votes
2answers
2k views
When folks send me pull-requests on GitHub, what are their copyright/licensing terms by default?
Say I'm maintaining a GPLv3 project on GitHub with a LICENSE file, code headers and all. Now, a few folks made some code enhancements and sent me a pull-request. Does that automatically mean that they ...
0
votes
1answer
85 views
Usage of permissive BSD license
I want to start one e-commerce site , for which i chose the backbone framework which is under permissive BSD license , can i use it for commercial purpose. what are the things do i need to keep in ...
5
votes
1answer
143 views
Is it legal for a corporation to “lock in” & restrict usage and redistribution of Open Source software that it has released to it's own services?
In source code for a project released by Amazon.com Inc., awslabs/amazon-redshift-utils, an "Open Source"-like license is found with questionable stipulations, particularly section 3.3:
3.3 Use ...
14
votes
3answers
4k views
Common practice on GitHub and license/copyright
I have been searching the web for quite some time now, but the plethora of opinions/comments/articles about licensing questions make it difficult to verify how trustworthy the various sources are. ...
