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.
731
questions
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
94 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
57 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
235 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
406 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
418 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
167 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
378 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
117 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
48 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
57 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
814 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
97 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
173 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
427 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
344 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
151 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
546 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
141 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
494 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
934 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
763 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
84 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. ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
Do I need to share the source for my modified AGPL-licensed MongoDB instance if the user doesn't interact with it directly?
MongoDB positively asserts that a program that uses a MongoDB database does not form a combined work with it. This is nice because my web service that uses MongoDB does not need to be licensed under ...
5
votes
2answers
149 views
Open Source libraries inside IC firmware and attribution obligation
I wonder whether Open Source libraries used within firmware burnt (in flash or ROM) in an IC that is sold to customers building products with it requires the final manufacturer to give credits (...
2
votes
1answer
48 views
Are there any license limitations for my created XPCOM component?
We use XPCOM technology to create XPCOM components for our Firefox add-on.
For creating any XPCOM component, Mozilla's XULRunner tool is needed as a development tool. XULRunner is under the Mozilla ...
5
votes
2answers
531 views
What if a company uses my open source project for a closed-source system?
I have created an open-source project in github and R around financial calculations under GPL v3.
Today I saw in the traffic graph of github that someone cloned the repository and that there was a ...
10
votes
2answers
378 views
Is there any recourse when an “Open Source” project has a closed-source core?
I have come across a Java project licensed under Apache 2.0, but there's a fair bit of behavior locked away in an internal package that isn't checked into the project's repository (though the compiled ...
4
votes
1answer
3k views
Why doesn't FFmpeg distribute a binary with libfdk_aac enabled?
From the FFmpeg's Encode/AAC page:
The licenses of libaacplus, libfaac, and libfdk_aac are not compatible
with the GPL, so the GPL does not permit distribution of binaries
containing code ...
3
votes
2answers
553 views
Mixing Apache 2.0 and AGPLv3 in open-source project
I have developed and released an open-source Java library under Apache 2.0 license. In the next version, I plan to include BerkeleyDB as one of the supported storage engines. Note that the actual ...
2
votes
0answers
230 views
Do I need a license to design IP cores with AXI interfaces?
Many IP cores especially from Xilinx have an AXI interface from ARM.
The AXI interface standard is free for download (after registration), but I don't think it's free for implementation. So I assume ...
2
votes
2answers
82 views
Is there an authoritative, comprehensive list of licenses in use?
Where can I find a single, comprehensive list of known software licenses? If possible, it would be useful if it covered both FLOSS licenses and commercial (possibly closed-source) licenses, but it ...
3
votes
1answer
1k views
Using open source sample code provided by Microsoft for commercial software
I am developing a software for commercial release which is developed ahead on a sample code provided by MSDN
This is mentioned in the beginning
// THIS CODE AND INFORMATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" ...
1
vote
3answers
109 views
Can I create and use my own license or do I need to publish it somewhere? [duplicate]
I have created a license for my apps:
This computer program is licensed under Illuze License v1.0.0 or later.
Illuze License
v1.0.0 [3rdDec2015]
-Rahul2001.com
It's simple:
-You are ...
4
votes
1answer
132 views
GPLv3 With Section 7 Exception Linked to LGPLv3
As a follow up from GPL V3 with OpenSSL Exception, I'm curious about linking an LGPLv3 project with a GPLv3 project that has a special exception for OpenSSL. In the answer to the aforementioned ...
10
votes
2answers
775 views
How should I license my project's logo?
For my OSS project, is it a good idea to release the "brand assets" under a CC license?
I want to make it easy for people to use the logo for blogs/articles talking about the product and derivatives ...
8
votes
1answer
872 views
Using the (L)GPL as an open-source hardware license?
I use the GPLv3 for my applications and the LGPLv3 for my libraries. In a similar fashion I'd like to use them for my open-source hardware projects (GPL for schematic and PCBs, LGPL for schematic ...
