All Questions
4,776
questions
1
vote
0
answers
17
views
When is it not a bad thing to use a nonfree program?
From Is It Ever a Good Thing to Use a Nonfree Program? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation:
The “developing its own replacement” exception is valid within its limits, and crucial for the ...
- 353
2
votes
0
answers
9
views
Implicit licensing when contributing to an open source project
Imagine I fork a MIT licensed project on GitHub, make some changes and submit a Pull Request (PR). I own the copyright of my changes. The PR is accepted.
A few years later, someone uses the software ...
- 233
1
vote
1
answer
23
views
Usage of figures found in a online manual under LGPL 2.1 inside a thesis
I'm writing my PhD thesis and inside that I've used some screenshot that I found inside the online documentation, only to show the purpose and some functionalities of the software.
I'm talking about ...
- 11
8
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Can somebody other than the copyright holder enforce the GPL "inherited" by a project? Do they have to?
Let's consider a project A, with authors and copyright holders A1, A2, A3 etc, licensed under GPL v2.
Project B builds on project A (let's say they just outright import the source code of A and link ...
- 181
4
votes
1
answer
319
views
LGPL obligations for using glibc
Similar questions have been asked before, but I'm not satisfied with the answers.
In LGPL v2.1, Section 5 states that a binary may be derivative to an LGPL library if it was compiled with the library'...
- 141
2
votes
0
answers
27
views
How does branding a free software as open source help selling the product easier?
Eric Raymond in Goodbye, "free software"; hello, "open source" said:
the term [free software] makes a lot of corporate types nervous. While this does not intrinsically bother me ...
- 353
2
votes
0
answers
24
views
"Given enough eyes, all bugs are shallow". Did this idea exist before Eric Raymond wrote "The Cathedral and the Bazaar"?
From What success really looks like in open source | by Nadia Asparouhova | Medium:
When we talk about successful open source projects, we imagine big, thriving, participatory communities, where many ...
- 353
2
votes
0
answers
43
views
How to open-source code for an ebook-style iOS Qt app but retain control of the content?
Years ago (whenever Qt 5.7 was current), as a contractor I developed a closed source tablet app for a company with (at the time) a commercial license for Qt (they assigned me a license seat). The app ...
- 121
-4
votes
0
answers
22
views
What the plans of the incus development with the integrated lxc after the breakup with the canonical? [closed]
After thinking on some vm-as-container solution, I have tried lxc. I have quickly found that the project is in life-or-death bongo: development was paid by the canonical (they are making also Ubuntu), ...
- 998
5
votes
2
answers
852
views
Is the EUPL circumventable?
The EUPL in its §1 states that "to distribute" includes
making available, online or offline, copies of the Work or providing access to its essential functionalities at the disposal of any ...
- 153
12
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Hypothetical: FOSS License for Compiler with Ken Thompson's "Trusting Trust" backdoor
About a year ago, I made a modified copy of the Tiny C Compiler, which is licensed under LGPL-2.1. Using the techniques described in Ken Thompson's talk and paper titled "Reflections on Trusting ...
- 145
2
votes
1
answer
63
views
Using a FOSS license for binaries created in a hex editor
For about a year and a half, I have been working on a creating series of minimal ELF executables that print terminal control escape sequences to clear the screen. My workflow is a bit backwards - ...
- 145
2
votes
1
answer
105
views
When does (A)GPL license come into effect when loading a shared GPL-licensed library and how long does the effect last?
I've a very specific question.
I was reading: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLPlugins
And wondered about the following.
My main program uses a permissive license that is compatible with ...
-2
votes
1
answer
56
views
Google's ML Kit
Hi I want to use google's ML Kit for my SDK offering to my customer. Is it open source? I don't find any license attached to it. Also it is like a black box that goes along with our offerings and uses ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Way to share code built on scripts with Creative Commons licence including no derivative clause?
I invested a considerable amount of time translating a set of Matlab scripts into Python and subsequently conducted extensive testing to ensure that the Python scripts returned the exact same values/...
- 63
2
votes
0
answers
99
views
If I script a GPL software like GDB using its scripting API, should my scripts be distributed as GPL as well?
GDB is using GPL. I am writing scripts/python commands using its python scripting API and importing gdb: the module they expose for that goal.
Should my scripts be also distributed under GPL? Or can i ...
1
vote
0
answers
26
views
Looking for the best licensing model [duplicate]
I'm creating a large open source project that I hope will have many contributors. This project is expressly for collaboration and practice on using and creating industry best practices. While this ...
- 111
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
How much of a given work of software can be claimed under fair use? [closed]
I've found that my most recent project has been taking a significant portion code from a GNU GPL code base. While i’m aware that the nature of copyright law allows for such usage, I’m unclear about ...
- 151
3
votes
2
answers
138
views
Does GPLv2 allow to charge an unlimited amount as fee for copy transfer?
GPLv2 terms state the following (see below). But does this means to be able to charge an unlimited amount for copy transfer (it may be object code) and the limitation not to exceed distribution fees ...
- 31
17
votes
2
answers
8k
views
Is it legal to distribute GPL software compiled with a nonfree compiler?
Suppose there is a GPL program.
Say I used a closed source "compiler" to build it.
In building so, I pulled in a proprietary library, but I considered it part of my compiler.
Because the ...
- 313
5
votes
1
answer
159
views
How to counter notice a DMCA takedown if I am merely a GPLv3 licensee?
I publicly uploaded a GPLv3 source code to GitLab, and they received a DMCA takedown for it. I think the complaining party may be the current copyright owner of (most of) the code, who is now ...
- 233
2
votes
1
answer
44
views
Linking both statically and dynamically to an LGPL library from a proprietary program
My proprietary program dynamically links with an LGPL (2.1 or later) library. However, for technical and practical reasons, the need to distribute the library as a separate .so/.dll file is ...
- 123
5
votes
1
answer
319
views
Correct license for dataset if source data has different licenses
I want to create a new dataset which I want to publish on e.g. Hugging Face. I plan to have multiple versions with different licenses, depending on which data I used.
I now wondered whether I can ...
- 151
1
vote
1
answer
48
views
Want to release FOSS project under under LGPL 3.0, have Eclipse 2.0 and Apache 2.0 licensed code, not sure what to do
I'm finishing up a Java JSON parser that I want to release under the LGPL 3.0 license. Thing is, I'm using JUnit 5 for unit tests (falls under the Eclipse 2.0 license), and some Apache Commons code ...
2
votes
1
answer
111
views
Can one of several heirs of a copyright release it under a Creative Commons license, and if so, how?
Alice created a work and died without publishing it. Bob and Charlie jointly inherited the copyright. All three live(d) in the United States. Bob wants to publish the work under a Creative Commons ...
- 317
1
vote
0
answers
37
views
How can an inherited copyright be released under a Creative Commons license? [migrated]
Alice created a work and died without publishing it. Bob and Charlie jointly inherited the copyright. Bob wants to release it under a license of his choice without involving Charlie. Can he do this? ...
- 317
2
votes
0
answers
41
views
Could the CC0's fallback license be the BSD-0? is there any difference?
CC0's fallback license is:
Public License Fallback.
Should any part of the Waiver for any reason be judged legally invalid or ineffective under applicable law, then the Waiver shall be preserved to ...
- 121
1
vote
0
answers
56
views
What happens If a LGPL-licensed shared libraries are dynamically linked to GPL-licensed files of same package?
I'm integrating a component in my commercial software called ABC, in which some part of code is licensed under LGPL and some part it is licensed under GPL. And there are some shared libraries created ...
- 19
6
votes
1
answer
915
views
MPL license: Can I completely lose grants?
In MPL license:
5.1. The rights granted under this License will terminate automatically if You fail to comply with any of its terms. However, if You become compliant, then the rights granted under ...
- 61
23
votes
5
answers
3k
views
How to fairly distribute a sum of money among the most relevant FLOSS projects to a codebase?
I'm facing a dilemma. As a independent software developer and vendor, I code and sell the product of my work making some profit out of it. It's not much, it won't make me rich, but it's enough to make ...
- 341
-4
votes
1
answer
105
views
Open Source Medical Equipment [closed]
Are there any projects currently developing libre medical equipment?
Obviously, this would include the designs and instructions to build common medical equipment, including:
Autoclaves
Microscopes
...
- 141
5
votes
1
answer
214
views
Can DCO be used in BSL?
A Developer Certificate of Origin is a well adopted contribution model in open source projects that protects both the contributors rights of their changes and the project. Could it also be used in ...
- 51
3
votes
1
answer
82
views
Do I put my license/copyright header on top of a permissively-licensed file I found on the internet?
I found a nice Python class on a website devoted to nice Python gists - and on its web page (but not in the source code) it has the author's name and says it is PSF licensed - which wikipedia says is ...
- 141
7
votes
1
answer
741
views
When updating a package version, what should the license year be?
When creating a new R package version under an existing MIT licence, should the year be [creation_year], [current_year] or [creation_year - current_year]?
- 71
18
votes
1
answer
5k
views
PySimpleGUI, until now, has been distributed under the GPLV3, but just became a subscription model. How does that work?
PySimpleGUI, a GUI framework for Python, has previously been published under the LGPLv3. They just announced that they are changing to a subscription model with PysimpleGUI 5, and that previous ...
- 291
3
votes
1
answer
287
views
AGPLv3 version of itext
We have a web application (for internal users) using free version of AGPLv3.
The web application is NOT a commercial application. Do we need to use commercial license instead of free version?
- 31
5
votes
2
answers
99
views
Choosing an open source license for my up to now commercial project
I'm about to re-license my desktop application as open source software. For several years now, the application is published and sold under a commercial license. While working on a new version (...
- 151
12
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Risks of using code under a permissive license that could later convert to GPL due to licensor oversight
Consider the following hypothetical situtation.
The company C uses the library L under the MIT license to create a distributable binary under proprietary license
Later, the author of the library L ...
0
votes
2
answers
56
views
Open source contributing process
I'm a passionate developer who sought to invest in open source contribution. So, I've learned how to contribute through posting questions/answers on GitHub, issues and pull requests, reporting bugs ......
- 11
3
votes
1
answer
117
views
Someone wants to contribute code with a copyright notice. Should I be concerned?
I maintain a parser combinator library called Parjs, licensed under the MIT license. I’ve received a PR that contains a copyright notice by Oracle.
I was under the impression that whoever contributes ...
- 133
5
votes
2
answers
228
views
Different OSS license for LaTeX project source and code listings
I am currently writing a technical document with various code listings and diagrams.
I would like to release the actual text under the GNU-FDL license, while keeping the code listings under GNU-GPL V3....
3
votes
1
answer
120
views
Advertising a job in open source software and hardware
I am developing a solution to deploy open-source hardware in a way that would be similar to APT or Portage in software. As a matter of fact, the idea is to extend something like Portage to make it ...
- 39
18
votes
1
answer
8k
views
How do I release code written for a company to the public?
I'm working on a Unity project for a company and, while doing so, I wrote some code that I think would be cool to have it on the internet, free to use.
But I never released something that is owned by ...
- 183
0
votes
0
answers
27
views
Github Public Repo License [duplicate]
I'm building a software which is publicly hosted on GitHub. Its deployed on Play Store as well.
I have a few contributory pull requests, but im concerned over possible legal complications over a long ...
- 109
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Compliance with LGPL for a Locked STM32 in a Commercial Product?
I'm working on a commercial project involving an STM32 microcontroller, designed to be locked down for security and business reasons. The device can only be updated through a bootloader controlled by ...
- 63
10
votes
2
answers
7k
views
If someone used my open source (MIT license) project's logo and name to create their website/service, is it allowed?
I am the maintainer of a open source project Uptime Kuma (https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma), The project is under MIT license.
Generally, for most cases, I don't mind how people used my ...
- 203
4
votes
1
answer
251
views
How to find licensing information on EU-funded projects?
How can I find-out the licensing information on a product that's funded by the EU?
For example, enormous amounts of research has been published about the "Euro Trough" -- a linear parabolic ...
- 141
5
votes
1
answer
222
views
Using SoX requires commercial license
I'm building a Linux embedded OS usingYocto in which I have to include SoX to perform downsampling of .wav files.
SoX is under GPL or LGPL license (the downsampling function I use is under LGPL)
When ...
- 153
1
vote
0
answers
47
views
Open Hardware: Why does it Exist if you can License Hardware Under Standard Open Source License? [duplicate]
I was looking into publishing some hardware I designed. I began to look into the world of Open Hardware License(s) and discovered the closest to the GNU GPL TAPR and CERN (strong copyleft). And ...
- 19
2
votes
0
answers
35
views
What are the proper terms for those types of software combinations?
I am writing a python app and I am using external open source dependencies in 2 different ways:
A) standard import
B) calling an executable as a subprocess
What is the proper language to refer to such ...
- 21