New answers tagged gpl
4
Person A definitely can only use that Javascript code under the GPL license. For copyright purposes, there is no difference if source code is mechanically translated to machine code (a.k.a. it is compiled), or if it is mechanically translated to another language.
For person B, it makes a difference if they translated the GPL source code into assembly code, ...
3
I think the basic problem here is that it's the copyleft nature of the GPL that makes it "bloated". You can grant the same rights as the GPL does in a few lines - all the extra words in the GPL are there to "prevent others from denying you these rights or asking you to surrender the rights".
Is there a copyleft license specifically ...
1
If I use the server component, I can still charge money for access to my service without disclosing my other server-side code because I am not distributing the GPLed server as a binary.
I agree.
The client app is a bit more complex. It is true that no shared code is a necessary condition for your code not being a derived work of the GPL client code (and ...
6
The final quote you include correctly states that the AGPLv1 is incompatible with the GPLv2. However, the AGPLv3 is compatible with the GPLv3.
The BSL's requirement of GPL compatibility is
“compatible” means that software provided under the Change License can be included in a program with software provided under GPL Version 2.0 or a later version
I read ...
1
In the US, B would have an opportunity to depose A and/or their staff about how the functions of B's code that seem like B's code got implemented before the case began to go to trial and to potentially get other discovery such as the source code to be examined under NDA by an expert. Assuming that A didn't give up under the threat of the discovery process ...
2
A can reasonably demonstrate this without showing the source code, by showing their change control history (without the differences for each file, of course). Other documentation such as design documents and review records would also help. The aim is to show that a development process took place, starting from nothing, and developing iteratively until they ...
1
If the dependency tree of your project somewhere contains a dependency that is only available under the GPL license, then all code in your project and all dependencies must be open-source under a GPL-compatible license and the project itself must be distributed under the GPL license terms.
However, the examples you mention involve dependencies that are dual-...
10
This is going to depend to a large extent on the jurisdiction which you care about and the specifics of the case, but from a general point of view in English law a copyright breach is a civil matter so "balance of probabilities" applies. B would have to provide the evidence on which they are basing their assertion that A has used their code, and A ...
3
Will the software have to be GPL?
That depends on how closely your software depends on the post-processing by ffmpeg in particular.
If ffmpeg is just one of potentially many (independently developed) programs that can read and process the files your app creates, then your app is a separate and independent work from ffmpeg as far as copyright is concerned ...
2
This looks like the well-known and perfectly respectable dual-licensing model, with the small wrinkle that there are two proprietary licences: one zero-cost but usage-limited, and one paid-for and usage-unlimited. Dual-licensing models are well-known and well-understood in the free and proprietary software worlds; IANAL/IANYL, but I can't see any problems ...
3
You cannot overcome this limitation by changing the code a bit. The GPL specifically protects against this, and, arguably, it is the central idea of the GPL.
Your only options are:
Change your license,
Ask the author if they will license their code to you under a different license, or
Find or create an alternative implementation with a BSD-compatible ...
0
As I understand them, Contributor License Agreements do two things:
Allow the curator to make certain decisions about what can be done with the project without needing to seek additional consent from all contributors,
Help the curator ensure it has the legal right to distribute the project in the first place.
You can think of a project that accepts ...
8
(a) if I am correct about GPL's original "motivation"
No you are not correct about the motivation for creating the GPL. To quote Richard Stallman, the father of the GPL license:
My work on free software is motivated by an idealistic goal: spreading freedom and cooperation. I want to encourage free software to spread, replacing proprietary ...
1
I'm sorry to disagree publicly, but Bart's answer, while excellent in many respects, seems wrong in one: you may (and in my opinion should) put a GPL header in the files you acquired under PD but are now redistributing as part of your project. If you choose not to, you will need to make it clear that they are public domain, by adding a comparable "...
2
Question: How do I go about placing a GPL license notice in the file containing those [public domain] subroutines
If the file only contains public domain code, then you should not add a GPL license notice nor a copyright line in the file. Instead, you should put a notice in the file that the contents are in the public domain.
This does not conflict with the ...
4
Generally, a template, in the context how you appear to use it, is a bare-bones document that people can copy and flesh out with their own content. The template document gives some indications how the author of the template thinks such a document should be structured.
As using such a template always starts with making a copy of it and then making changes to ...
0
You are missing an important point. It would be very difficult for Company A to get $1000/month from their customers just for using that software.
Sure, Joe Client may not be technically literate to understand nor run it, but he could provide it to Bob competitor which will install it for him for a fraction of the cost (or Joe may have an in-house sysadmin ...
2
Can I, however, distribute bar under a license that says something along the lines of "Bar is distributed under the GPLv3, with the following exception: a non-source form of this work is under TFL".
Not meaningfully. GPLv3 s6 says that "You may convey a covered work in object code form under the terms of sections 4 and 5", and s5c ...
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