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
111
questions
4
votes
1answer
85 views
Is Google's Chrome web browser truly open source?
I have been trying to understand if Google's Chrome web browser is truly open source. Some people claim that it is, while others claim that it integrates binary blobs for which the source is ...
5
votes
1answer
95 views
How do products like MongoDB not violate the GPL licenses?
I'm quite confused with MongoDB's licensing model. MongoDB at its core is an open-source project, licensed under the SSPL which is a small modification of the AGPLv3 license. Then how does it release ...
14
votes
1answer
3k views
What is the correct term for software whose source code is available only to read?
The software is distributed under these terms:
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software&...
0
votes
0answers
10 views
Selling copy of GPL v3 app under another license [duplicate]
I want to create a library, that can be used for free in any open-source project, so I want to publish it under terms of GNU GPL v3. But, also I want to sell it, so it could be used in proprietary ...
1
vote
0answers
37 views
I want to build a new ISO based on official Ubuntu 18.04 ISO, plus some propietary software. What do I have to open-source to comply with GPL2?
What if I do not own the proprietary software but I have been given permission to distribute it (will being able to open-source the build automation help? This would mean only someone with the correct ...
3
votes
3answers
90 views
How to enforce CC-BY in data generated by a program, if I open-source that program as well?
I'm running a data journalism operation, and as part of our business, we generate a lot of datasets. We're fine with these datasets being used by just about everyone, as long as they give us credit. ...
4
votes
3answers
117 views
How to completely get rid of proprietary code in the library?
I made a small library which I decided to open-source under the Apache 2.0 License on Github.
Not long afterward I realized that some of the code in here makes use of proprietary information which ...
1
vote
1answer
37 views
Use of GPL software with proprietary network program
I am working on a distributed computing project. The client for this project uses Twisted (MIT licensed) to communicate with the server. The client will locally invoke a PARI/GP (GPL licensed) script ...
4
votes
2answers
52 views
Is Flameshot mislabeled on the Ubuntu Software Center?
Recently, I have seen Flameshot labeled as proprietary on the Ubuntu Software Center:
(german text, "Proprietär" means "proprietary")
Is Flameshot mislabeled on the Software Center, as it's official ...
11
votes
2answers
4k views
Can I sell a proprietary software with an LGPL library bundled along with it, without making my source code public?
I am making a commercial application for my own company.
I want to use PySide2 in it which comes under the LGPL license. I will be using PySide2 without any modification to it for designing the GUI.
...
1
vote
1answer
30 views
Is it possible to have a proprietary commercial plug-in in a GPL licensed app?
We are developing an automatic machine learning software for researchers under a GPL license. This will allow them to use different ML algorithms on their data. Is it possible to offer an additional ...
9
votes
2answers
118 views
Is it legal to remove a dependency with a copyleft license from a proprietary project?
Imagine you have a proprietary project (non open source), and by mistake you added a dependency to a library with a strong copyleft license. You have already distributed your code. And you realize ...
2
votes
3answers
209 views
Licensing software that uses a proprietary library under GPL-3.0 without linking exceptions: what are the implications?
NOTE: Changed the person in example from "I/me" to "PersonXYZ"
Given, hypothetically:
PersonXYZ wrote some software (will refer to as SoftwareXYZ) that uses a proprietary library (will refer to as ...
2
votes
2answers
273 views
What permissions does LGPL-3.0 grant if the licensed work links against a proprietary library?
According to the FSF "The Lesser GPL permits use of the library in proprietary program".
Is this permission granted in cases where an LGPL-3.0 licensed work links against a proprietary library?
Both ...
-6
votes
1answer
49 views
Implications of powershell usage on Linux
Looking, in particular, at:
PowerShell 6.0 Linux Administration Cookbook Prashanth Jayaram, Ram
Iyer November 30, 2018 566 pages
I just want to go in eyes-open, knowing any pitfalls of the ...
2
votes
1answer
45 views
Can I sell closed source plugins that interface with a GPL v2 software which is open sourced? [duplicate]
Basically, I have an idea for some software based on an Open Sourced application.
If I was to build an application based off of that, and sell my plugins, would this be a breach of terms? This is the ...
4
votes
1answer
81 views
Can a GPL-licensed library be used in private development builds of a proprietary application?
I'm considering using this GPL-3.0-licensed library as a development aid in a game. Development builds that include this library (and other unrelated tools) would be used by myself and any parties ...
5
votes
1answer
64 views
Can I release an Excel Workbook with VBA code under the GPL v3?
This is my first foray into the open source world. I've got a Microsoft Excel workbook that I have some custom VBA modules in that I want to distribute under the GPL v3. I can't find much discussion ...
5
votes
1answer
110 views
GPL Application linked to a LGPL library loading proprietary-plugins
This is a bit similar to what asked in this question, unless that here the case is that the application only directly loads LGPL code, and this one then may dlopen a proprietary lib, so:
GPL Program ...
3
votes
1answer
135 views
Does using libraries under LGPL in my product limit my choice on how to license it?
I am developing a product that links to a number of LGPL (or compatible) licensed libraries.
The product itself is a creator tool for intellectual property work of its users. The LGPL libraries are ...
-3
votes
2answers
66 views
What happens when I use LGPL Qt 5 toolkit to link statically for a closed source (proprietary) application?
I come from a country "ALGERIA" where nobody buys a software license even the government, except fore rare cases where the government institution is very sensitive, other governmental institutions ...
3
votes
1answer
75 views
What are good arguments against my university teacher's justification, which is that the softwares taught are the industry standards?
I will have the chance to take part in a meeting with the whole department of my university program (translation degree) and I would like to address what I believe to be a major problem, namely the ...
2
votes
1answer
108 views
Why doesn't Microsoft open-source the existing Edge browser?
Microsoft will soon make Edge a Chromium-based (i.e. WebKit) browser. This is good for Microsoft and the WebKit ecosystem, but not necessarily good for the web as a whole (since this further allows ...
4
votes
1answer
145 views
GPL Application <-> LGPL Plugin <-> Properietary code
I would like to explicitly consider possibility of having either of
Fig.1:
(1-A) A GPL application with dlopen-based plugin system.
(1-B) LGPL plugin for application (1-A), that is linked to (1-C)
(...
0
votes
1answer
474 views
Push notifications for Android 8 open source app
I am developing an open source Android app that has push notifications.
If I understand https://developer.android.com/about/versions/oreo/background#services correctly, Android 8 forces me to use ...
2
votes
1answer
73 views
Can I develop a front-end under a different license than the GPL-license CLI application?
I want to develop and distribute a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for an existing command-line tool (LibLouis).
I want to do so using .NET WPF or Windows Forms, but the library of Liblouis is written ...
10
votes
1answer
1k views
Difference between MongoDB SSPL and GNU AGPL
I'm trying to understand the difference between the SSPL and the GNU AGPL license, after reading the terms of SSPL.
The 13th clause of the license states the following:
If you make the ...
3
votes
2answers
379 views
Can a closed-source software be free
I saw some closed-source software (for Windows), which license explicitly allows to do everything with it, including disassembling, decompiling and modification, but no source is distributed, though ...
14
votes
4answers
3k views
When distributing a Linux kernel driver as source code, what's the difference between Proprietary and GPL license?
The company I work for is selling PCIe cards. I'm writing the Linux driver for it as a Linux kernel module.
When selling these PCIe cards, we give along the Linux kernel driver as source code. ...
3
votes
2answers
275 views
Can I publish only select code under GPLv3 from a private project?
So my team is planning to go open source with a project that has been in development together with an industry partner for some time now. We're not sure about the licensing yet, but GPLv3 looks ...
5
votes
1answer
358 views
Including the MIT copyright notice when the software is part of a larger proprietary software
From reading the license here I understand how I can use the software but the only condition it imposes has confused me.
The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be
included in ...
-3
votes
1answer
286 views
Which Creative Commons licenses are permissive enough for proprietary software?
We are releasing a software under a dual license APGLv3/proprietary.
To build it, we are reusing many components availabe on the web. For source code, those components have to be released with a ...
2
votes
3answers
862 views
Conditions on binaries incorporating BSD 3-clause licensed code
I have developed a software that uses (is statically linked to) code licensed under BSD 3-clause license. Just reading the license terms, it seems to me that I'm obliged to allow any one who I sell (...
5
votes
1answer
105 views
Is it legal to install GNU GPL v2 software alongside my proprietary software
I have developed a set of python-based tools for network testing, and I am currently building a GUI around it and I am going to attempt to sell it. My issue is one part of my code relies on wireshark, ...
7
votes
2answers
189 views
Do Licenses for Test Libraries Apply to Production Code?
(I am re-asking this question here, as I was informed that it was off-topic on Stack Overflow)
My interest in this question stems from concern over the lack of a license in a testing framework I came ...
3
votes
2answers
2k views
Can GoJS be included into an open source project?
Context: GoJS is not open source, its license stating in particular that modification is forbidden (though the fact that its source code is hosted on GitHub seems to confuse some people).
The ...
0
votes
1answer
176 views
Is it possible to write proprietary code that links to a shared library that's open source? Under what license and condition is it possible?
Is it possible to write proprietary code that links to a shared library that's open source? Under what license and condition are it possible?
7
votes
1answer
932 views
Optional GPL dependency in commercial Python application
I am developing a commerical clock application ("JJClock"), which is written in Python. What I will deliver to my customers will either be a .pyc file or a .so file ("compiled") with Cython -- the ...
-4
votes
1answer
176 views
How ethical and legal is it to develop proprietary software? [closed]
I am a freelancer and recently, built software for an organization. Our deal was for me to develop and submit software at whole. Hence, it is a proprietary software owned by that organization.
I've ...
3
votes
1answer
185 views
Opensource license ownership and collaboration
If a person releases their source under some Open source license. And later if another person contributes to the project through a pull request (in Github). Then, does the contributor gets a say if ...
37
votes
4answers
16k 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 ...
2
votes
3answers
1k views
May I use AGPL license in a desktop application without providing the source code?
We develop a commercial desktop application that uses an AGPL library. The lib's code is just used, not modified. Our application runs completely offline.
May we use the AGPL library without having ...
4
votes
1answer
113 views
Libre Office and proprietary Microsoft file formats
Libre Office can open proprietary Microsoft file formats (although some features are unsupported). But how was it able to achieve this? Did they reverse engineer these formats from binaries?
In this ...
0
votes
1answer
1k views
Can I use GPL 3.0 or LGPL licensed libraries in my commercial closed source IOT product?
I am building an IOT product, an home automation solution, where I am using ESP8266 Arduino Core that is LGPL-2.1 and also few libraries which are GPL 3.0 licensed.
For security reasons I do not ...
1
vote
1answer
464 views
How do you copyright/license software based on MIT-licensed open source code?
I am a former developer that codes in my spare time for fun and to maintain some level knowledge in the subject. So I found an interesting proof of concept online. I saw the potential to modify it and ...
1
vote
1answer
296 views
AGPL/LGPL licensed app usage in proprietary software
I have software with proprietary license. For some reasons I need an AGPL library (DLL). So, for including the AGPL licensed application (To manage license terms) I am using the following methods (I ...
2
votes
1answer
59 views
Is there an existing license that is copy-left by default, but allows use in proprietary software through case-by-case negotiation?
I'm looking for a license which is designed such that anyone can use my code so long as the license they release it under is copy-left. However, I'd also like to be able to license my code out for ...
1
vote
0answers
363 views
Commercial application that uses R portable and R packages
I wrote an R script application that contains R packages and, mostly, my own code. I would like to sell the script as an application or as a gist (using gist.github.com) to be used by organizations ...
3
votes
1answer
257 views
Does an application linking to an unmodified LGPL-3 library need to be debugger-friendly?
I currently work on a proprietary, closed-source software suite, which is distributed to customers as part of a larger package (including various hardware and services).
The software suite uses LGPL-...
0
votes
0answers
140 views
How could other people know that I'm using GPLed libraries in my application?
I know nothing about GPL before, and I am living in a country that doesn't have much care about licenses either. I am studying this GPL thing today and I came to know that when I am using a GPLed ...
