Questions tagged [proprietary-code]
For questions about works whose authors retain the ability to control derivates or distribution as given to them by copyright law
171
questions
4
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2
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135
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Docker image with proprietary software and GPL library
As a company we have a proprietary software, coded in Java and distributed to our clients in .war packages that they run on their servers. To run, the software requires a program licensed under GPLv2 ...
2
votes
2
answers
124
views
can a GPL service receive input requests from a proprietary software and provide specific output results?
can a GPL service receive input requests from a proprietary software and provide specific output results?
obs.: the gpl service is a local machine daemon that just listens for new files in a folder, ...
- 131
1
vote
1
answer
49
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Can a UDK 3D interface be used to render the output of all the GPL text dungeon rpg games?
Can a UDK (unreal development kit, unreal engine) 3D interface be used to render the output of all the GPL text dungeon rpg games?
So, lets say i implement a 3D AAA interface using UDK5 top quality.
...
- 131
2
votes
0
answers
58
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Right to modify proprietary software linked to LGPLv2.1-licensed library?
The LGPLv2.1 license states in Section 6:
As an exception to the Sections above, you may also combine or link a "work that uses the Library" with the Library to produce a work
containing ...
- 2,058
1
vote
1
answer
87
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Does GPL apply to optional and disabled code and no linking
I am using mostly LGPL or compatible libraries, but there's also a few that are available under GPL & compatible only.
I understand that GPL requirements apply to software distribution, in other ...
- 479
6
votes
2
answers
1k
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Dynamically Linking a Proprietary Module to a GPL-Covered Library (C/C++)
Context
Suppose I have two projects called:
Foo
Bar
Goal: The Foo compiles to some sort of dynamic linking library such as a windows .dll and links to project Bar dynamically. And some of the ...
3
votes
1
answer
102
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Can I sever proprietary code from a codebase that was published containing CC BY-SA 4.0 code?
If I copied some code from Stackoverflow early on in the development process, forgot to take it out, and published the finished website containing the code from Stackoverflow, is my website no longer ...
- 187
2
votes
1
answer
63
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Commercial aggregate with open container and closed GUI
Is it possible to sell open-source R scripts in Linux containers run with Podman on Windows and control the containers with closed-source graphical user interface (GUI)? The straightforward and openly ...
- 31
2
votes
2
answers
87
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copyrights when learning from licensed code and then applying that knowledge to write your own code
When learning from different sources, some of which license their code, is re-applying those techniques and/or knowledge in my own projects considered copyright infringement
6
votes
2
answers
565
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Altering of MPL2.0-based code
I have changed MPL-2.0-based code for my needs under the proprietary project and already published these changes as PR in github.
But this PR is not in upstream yet (under review, not sure will be ...
- 61
2
votes
2
answers
155
views
Does licensing only apply to distributed code?
Does non-distributed code using licensed code need to be licensed?
Example: if a company (or a person) uses open-source code with an ISC license (no sublicensing allowed) for an internal app (or a ...
- 123
3
votes
1
answer
298
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Clarification on Proprietary software and linking LGPL libraries
I have an question about my understanding of Linking Proprietary software to LGPL libraries.
Based on my understanding, one can link his/her software to LGPL lib via:
Statically: Proprietary & ...
- 187
4
votes
1
answer
105
views
License GPLv3 scenario for a plugin A for Blender 3D and software B that communicates with plugin A. What is the license for software B?
I would like to create a plugin, let's call it 'A' for Blender 3D and a software let's call it 'B' that communicates with plugin A through the network.
I know that Blender 3D has GPL license for the ...
- 141
1
vote
1
answer
157
views
License compatibility for proprietary software
I'm making a software project that I will make as a proprietary software, which I will make a business model by providing service support to recipients or customers. In making target software, apart ...
3
votes
1
answer
118
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License to accept contributions without losing the rights on the application
English is not my native language so all the subtleties of licensing law are lost on me. I can't find what I'm looking for.
The initial problem:
I have created an association and its website which ...
- 39
1
vote
1
answer
76
views
Launching an application from another application
I have a GUI program that launches at start-up on a Linux machine. And this GUI can launch other applications like Spotify. I want to put this machine as a car's infotainment system of a vehicle that ...
- 13
4
votes
0
answers
176
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Blender addon interface with non-GPL compatible renderer through OpenGL driver using system library exception?
Why
I'm making a 3D rendering addon for Blender which is GPL 2/3 code that needs to communicate with non-GPL compatible library that does the rendering. I need some of this communication to be as fast ...
- 41
3
votes
1
answer
417
views
Can a program that uses a GPL library be closed source if it is distributed without the GPL library?
Suppose I create software that uses a library licensed under the GPL. If I distribute the software including the library, the software would have to be licensed under the GPL as well. But what if I ...
- 643
6
votes
1
answer
889
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PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 license is proprietary software?
I saw an interesting project for self-hosting.
Umbrel is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 license.
TL;DR — You're free to use, fork, modify, and redestribute Umbrel for
personal and ...
- 215
2
votes
1
answer
169
views
Can an AGPLv3 licensed application be provided with a proprietary portion?
I have come across a web application project on GitHub that uses AGPLv3 as it's primarily licensed, but a sub-folder of the project is provided under a proprietary license. This contains the code for ...
- 23
1
vote
2
answers
347
views
Is there any license which is based off on AGPL, but provides exemptions for the owner to allow others use it under a different license?
I have a set of libraries or framework that has been under development for more than a year by my team. We are finally nearing the completion of a few of these projects and want to release them as ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
107
views
Does MySQL / MariaDB allow proprietary (i.e. close-sourced) storage engines?
I understand that MySQL (community edition) and MariaDB are under GPL v2 license. Does it mean that it is not allowed to build proprietary database storage engines for them? It is inevitable that one ...
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-3
votes
1
answer
82
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Disallowing FOSS code to be used for certain purpose [duplicate]
I want to release my proprietary software as open source but don't want people to use it with the same purpose as I do, for example imagine you have made a video streaming app but you want to be the ...
3
votes
1
answer
130
views
Can you dual-license your own code, e.g. release a library as strict GPL (not LGPL), but then use that library in your own proprietary program? [duplicate]
As the author of a codebase, I understand that I have the right to decide how to license my code.
If I write a library of code and release it under the pure GPL, that means that anyone else using my ...
- 417
2
votes
1
answer
417
views
Using copyleft software (GPL v2) and distribute it with proprietary software
My case:
My app is proprietary full-stack server app that will be distributed as closed source. I want to package my app into an VM. The VM have Ubuntu installed which contains Linux (GPL v2 licensed)...
- 197
4
votes
1
answer
841
views
Can proprietary-licensed software execute shell commands that are probably GPL licensed?
Can proprietary-licensed software (that will be distributed, alongside with the hardware) use GPL software (distributed from package manager)?.
It's basically scientific-measurement-device, that ...
- 187
1
vote
0
answers
515
views
Why exactly is NirSoft's software not open source? [closed]
Apologies if this type of question isn't allowed here, but I am quite curious about this.
If you don't know, NirSoft is some sort of dev that has created a lot of software for use on Windows primarily....
- 11
11
votes
3
answers
5k
views
Can I disregard GPL just because I use autoconf?
I found the following text in licenses to some software I am considering to use:
As a special exception to the GNU General Public License, if you
# distribute this file as part of a program that ...
- 235
12
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Can my proprietary app automatically download a GPL-licensed binary?
I'm developing a proprietary app that will mainly use a dynamically linked execute a GPL-licensed FFmpeg binary.
I'm wondering if I can design the app in a way that it downloads the binary dependency ...
- 123
1
vote
2
answers
236
views
Using Conda's XZ package for proprietary use
I am currently packaging up my python software.
I listed down all the packages that it uses and found out that a package, which is called xz, uses multiple licenses (public domain, LGPLv2.1+, GPLv2+). ...
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-2
votes
1
answer
153
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Android to Fully Libre (FOSS)
HI I found that an Android uses the Same Kernal of Linux same of (Linus Torvalds) which contains Non-free blobs (proprietary code) as per my research these blobs can be harmful as Linus Torvalds tells ...
- 15
0
votes
1
answer
43
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Including design reference implementations with open source program
I am developing an open-source FPGA project that targets multiple FPGA development boards. The project itself is licensed MIT.
On one of the targets, the VGA-to-HDMI encoder chip included on the board ...
- 101
3
votes
1
answer
138
views
How do I pick the best suited license for my software?
I own a new software development company, and I developed some software that I want to sell in the future, but for now, I want to give it out free but still want my company accredited in some type of ...
- 133
4
votes
3
answers
813
views
Is it possible to link an LGPL v2.1 software with a proprietary library?
If I understand correctly, the LGPL v2.1 (and the subsequent licenses) allow an user to link a proprietary program to the LGPL licensed library as long as the open source library can be modified and ...
- 141
1
vote
0
answers
99
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Does injected CSS code count as derivative work?
There is a GPL web app. I want to make style modifications to it by injecting CSS code. The injected code aims to change some styles, but not all. For example, it will completely change the style of ...
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2
votes
0
answers
73
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Proprietary app injecting CSS into a remote self-hosted GPL web-app in WebView
I'm building a proprietary application that loads into its WebView a remote, self-hosted GPLv2 licensed web application.
I'm sure that loading a resource via WebView will not violate GPL (the web ...
- 51
1
vote
1
answer
784
views
can open source software be proprietary? if so, what examples exist?
quick question, i'm doing research into open source software and i was wondering if open source software be proprietary? if so, what examples exist? what examples exist of source code that is open ...
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12
votes
1
answer
832
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Proprietary Software + GPL: A case study with OctaneRender and Blender
Background:
I currently stumbled across an interesting case of a combination between a proprietary software and a GPL software, which I am trying to understand: There is the GPL software Blender - a ...
- 297
1
vote
0
answers
49
views
Documented protocol of proprietary software + plugin of GPL software
Please assume the following:
There is a GPL software (G), which provides API to write plugins to this software (GP).
There is a closed-source / proprietary software (P), which has an openly ...
- 297
0
votes
1
answer
613
views
Do we have to choose the GNU LGPL v2.1 license libraries for our distribution?
Our situation - LGPLv2.1 Libraries = LGPL for whole work?
Our distribution Package contains libraries which are licensed GNU LGPLv2.1
jquery.form - dual licensed GNU-LGPL-2.1+ - MIT,
* ...
1
vote
0
answers
47
views
clarify R licenses: machine learning models, developed with R in Azure, possible for commercial use?
i want to estimate machine learning models with R and i need to use it in a production environment, i'll work with Azure Datascience Virtual Machine or Azure Machine Learning.
If i use , for ex., ...
- 11
1
vote
1
answer
94
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LGPL and different architectures
I am in the midst of writing software using LGPL libraries, which will be part of an image for a device. Am I obliged to provide object files for different (micro)architectures than the device the ...
- 195
1
vote
0
answers
44
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Can I pack art assets from a leaked source code repository? [duplicate]
I am thinking about porting a commercial PlayStation game which had its entire development leaked. This game is SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge. The source code as well as all its development ...
- 11
7
votes
2
answers
2k
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What happens if a company releases third-party confidential code as open source?
This is very similar to this question: What happens if stolen software is published as Open Source? – but it doesn't exactly answer my question. This is also a thought experiment with no real ...
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10
votes
5
answers
8k
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Choosing the most restrictive open-source license
I am working on a not open source project. As I truly respect the ideas behind the free software movement, I would like to also make my own works open source whenever possible. However, I am not the ...
5
votes
2
answers
677
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Can Non GPL software use GPL code in virtual machine or interpreter
I hope this is the right place to ask these questions. If not please help me find a place so I can safely ask these questions without simply getting an off-topic label. I will describe two situations:
...
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4
votes
2
answers
2k
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How do you sell a hardware product that uses the linux kernel?
I would like to create a Linux based OS for a VR headset that I'm developing. From what I understand, the Linux kernel uses the GPL-2 license which allows for commercial use but it also requires you ...
- 141
2
votes
1
answer
73
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Free App and non free Pro app source code licensing model
I'm going to build an Android app under some open source license but I want to use this same app as a basis for a proprietary software in the future.
So I will have two softwares:
My Software
My ...
- 326
3
votes
1
answer
350
views
Understanding GPL & LGPL: Free Software with zero-cost, proprietary libraries
Background:
This question is derived from a previous question.
I am writing a Blender add-on which enables the use of Blender with a piece of hardware (i.e., a lightfield display). Blender and the ...
- 297
3
votes
3
answers
373
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Understanding GPL: Blender Add-on + System Library
Basic Information
I am writing a Blender add-on which enables the use of Blender with a piece of hardware (i.e., a lightfield display). Blender and the use of the specific Python API, which is ...
- 297