72
votes
Accepted
Under copyleft, why distinguish between "free as in free speech" and "free as in free beer"?
You've noticed that if a piece of software is "free as in speech," it will probably become "free as in beer" too. That's completely true.
The important thing, however, is that the ...
- 1,155
31
votes
Accepted
What is the standard practice when the developer does not want third party redistribution of a certain free and open source software?
This seems to happen again and again. Someone develops software, generously distributing it as free software, but doesn't fully understand the implications of giving their users the four freedoms.
...
- 47k
20
votes
Accepted
Is unDraw really "open source"?
The license of unDraw is a proprietary license for content (not software). It is not similar nor does it follow any FOSS license, and the non-compete clause apparently is in conflict with the OSI ...
- 7,053
19
votes
What is the standard practice when the developer does not want third party redistribution of a certain free and open source software?
I'm going to take a contrary position to some of the other answers here. To be clear: You have the legal right to make a PPA, with or without the developer's permission. But it might not be a good ...
- 5,122
17
votes
Accepted
AGPLv3 source redistribution: when does it apply to my code for a server-side Java app using an AGPL-licensed library?
There are several Q&A about the AGPLv3 on this site and some answers are sending vague or mixed signals.
Here is a (hopefully) clear and definitive answer with references.
First the AGPLv3 is ...
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14
votes
Accepted
Can a company circumvent the freedom of distribution on GPL software for its employees or service providers?
The GPL FAQ is fairly clear:
Is making and using multiple copies within one organization or company “distribution”?
No, in that case the organization is just making the copies for itself. As a ...
- 35.6k
14
votes
Under copyleft, why distinguish between "free as in free speech" and "free as in free beer"?
This is why most Open Source vendors sell service plans rather than software.
Yes, the nature of Open Source licenses would allow anyone to download and install the software for free, and to in turn ...
- 241
12
votes
Under copyleft, why distinguish between "free as in free speech" and "free as in free beer"?
Actually I think this rule is coming from the ages before internet was available for everyone. Like 29 years ago you could buy a few floppy disks with linux on it. And that the vendor could charge you ...
- 221
11
votes
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Is Apple allowed to distribute GPLv3-licensed software through its iOS App Store?
I have no intention of trying to argue with rms about this (or any other GPL-related) issue. But I think there's an interesting difference between GPLv2 and GPLv3 that gives rise to a new line of ...
- 47k
10
votes
Accepted
Is putting a page with javascript in it considered a redistribution
Every lawyer I consulted with always gave me the same answer: JavaScript in web page is code redistributed to whoever loads this page in their browser.
So yes, this is unambiguously redistribution.
...
- 14.3k
10
votes
Is Apple allowed to distribute GPLv3-licensed software through its iOS App Store?
I emailed Mr. Richard Stallman, the primary author of the GPL, for his opinion on this issue. I received the following reply:
I studied this question for a while. It is clear that that matter of ...
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9
votes
What is the standard practice when the developer does not want third party redistribution of a certain free and open source software?
There probably is no generally accepted way to handle a situation like you describe; the best answer and course of action always depends on the individual case.
On the one hand it's good to have a ...
- 10.7k
8
votes
Accepted
Can GoJS be included into an open source project?
You say the most important question is
can an open source project include the library and still stay open source?
IANAL/IANYL, but as I read it, no. Firstly, section 2.1.4(b) of the licence ...
- 47k
8
votes
Accepted
NDA with GPL software: can the author decide how/when to disclose?
Then, in some way (forums, ml, etc), another entity discovers that A is developing such a feature. Is A obliged in some way to distribute that feature?
No, if someone privately modifies GPL-licensed ...
- 35.6k
8
votes
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License to disallow distribution in closed source software, but allow exceptions made by owner?
The practice of selling exceptions to the GPL is perfectly commonplace, but you must either be the sole copyright holder, or else have prior permission from all other copyright holders. In order to ...
- 35.6k
8
votes
What is the standard practice when the developer does not want third party redistribution of a certain free and open source software?
One way to deal with such a request is to treat is as a "please respect my trademark" request. You create a fork of the complete project, give it a new name and you make it clear that you ...
7
votes
Is it still necessary to attribute MIT code if it has been modified?
No license allows you to take copyright ownership away from an author, all authors of the source code should always be attributed. As you contribute to the project, your name can be added to the list ...
- 1,505
7
votes
Accepted
Publishing code on github considered (re)distribution?
would mean that any project on a public Github repository gives automatically full redistribution rights to anyone ?
It means that anyone may copy the work verbatim to a new repository on the website ...
- 35.6k
6
votes
Are there licenses which restrict sales/commercial use of software in UNmodified form?
So, I think as defined by the Open Source Initiative, what you're trying to do is explicitly not open source. The open source definition includes:
1. Free Redistribution
The license shall not ...
- 191
6
votes
Can I distribute signed binaries of someone else's GPL'd code without distributing the private key?
The GPL requires you to distribute the source and "must require no special password or key for unpacking, reading or copying". However, merely signing a binary does not prevent someone from using it ...
- 874
6
votes
Accepted
How does Javascript minification process comply with requirements of opensource licenses
As Brandin points out, this material is pretty much completely covered in Can I minify Javascript that requires a copyright notice?, over on SoftwareEngineering.SE. However, questions can't be closed ...
- 47k
6
votes
In the BSD license, what does "redistribution" mean?
Does redistribution mean publicly placing a windows .exe using the BSD licensed library for users to download on a website(free and commercial)
Yes, that is redistribution.
sharing the exe with ...
- 47k
6
votes
Under copyleft, why distinguish between "free as in free speech" and "free as in free beer"?
The answers here are great, and this one won’t be better, but there is a point that hasn’t been addressed in any of them and can be pertinent to this conversation:
Because Bob's copy of the game is ...
- 161
6
votes
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Can I have open source notices in my app which are only displayed after authentication?
I would strongly suggest that compliance-related information is immediately accessible, without requiring a log in. This includes documents such as your contact details, your terms of service, your ...
- 38.6k
5
votes
Do you become a "Licensor" if you redistribute a work licensed under a CC 3.0 license?
Paragraph 8.a of the license seems to clarify that the original Licensor [Alice], not You [Bob], is the Licensor to the recipient.
Each time You Distribute or Publicly Perform the Work or a ...
- 3,911
5
votes
Accepted
Does a program need to show the open source license (Apache 2.0) of its components?
Combining the two articles, we see clearly that
You must give any other recipients of the work of authorship, whether in Source or Object form, a copy of this License
For the avoidance of doubt: ...
- 47k
5
votes
Accepted
Does importing a python package in my source code constitute redistribution of that package?
Fair disclosure: I'm not a lawyer.
If you're just requiring other (open source) libraries, you aren't redistributing them, you're merely stating what other libraries are required to run your project. ...
- 5,002
5
votes
Under copyleft, why distinguish between "free as in free speech" and "free as in free beer"?
While someone who had bought a piece of copyleft software only distributed by the author for paying customers could indeed redistribute it for free, it doesn't necessarily follow that someone would.
...
- 168
5
votes
Are aggregate licensing terms legal?
These aggregate notices are legally OK, there is no reason why they are not as long as all the requirements of the individual licenses are fulfilled (e.g. delivery of a plain text copy of the license ...
- 7,053
4
votes
Accepted
Distributing App for free which uses GPL'ed code
Whether or not you're charging money is irrelevant as far as the GPL is concerned, so you can take any notion of commercial versus internal out of your consideration.
The GPL is all about protecting ...
- 874
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible