Newest 'gpl' Questions (original) (raw)

Questions tagged [gpl]

The GNU's General Public License, a commonly-used free software license. The GPL has various versions, v1-v3, so use this tag only for questions talking about overarching issues of the licenses or shared characteristics. For example, for a question about a unique section on version 3, use the [gpl-3] tag.

Using MIT Python PyPI package with GPLv2-or-later Python package dependency in non-GPLv2-or-later-compliant project

I have a very specific question in this seemingly gray area. There is a very popular MIT-licensed PyPI academic Python package calfem-python. There is another very very popular GPLv2-or-later-licensed ...

asked Oct 17 at 1:30

I made a license for my X.com account. Is this legally binding?

So I made this license, in the style of GPL3 as a humorous pinned post for my profile on X.com. But now I'm wondering if this is actually legally binding? I would like it to be. Account Content ...

asked Sep 29 at 21:54

3 votes

2 answers

44 views

Open JDK (Corretto) components license

Corretto is licensed under GPLv2 with CPE. However some of its components are licensed under BSD, CDDL, CC0, GPL without CPE etc. I am trying to understand how that works, does GPL overrides the other ...

asked Sep 18 at 19:35

16 votes

5 answers

3k views

Why would the GPL be "viral", while EUPL isn't, according to the EUPL authors?

So, according to the FSF, any work that links to a GPL licensed work is considered a derivative work, and thus also needs to be covered by the GPL. The EUPL also demands derivative works to become ...

asked Sep 10 at 12:57

Potential Syscall Note Loophole?

Linux has a syscall note which says This exception is used together with one of the above SPDX-Licenses to mark user space API (uapi) header files so they can be included into non GPL compliant user ...

asked Sep 9 at 7:27

Am I allowed to link code licensed under GPL to proprietary libraries?

I believe it is fairly well understood that you cannot link proprietary code to code licensed under the GPL because you're creating a derivative work and have to license it all under the GPL. ...

asked Aug 12 at 23:41

Utilising GPLv3 in a closed-source application via HTTP API

I have a question regarding integration of a GPLv3 software into a broader application stack and what I am legally obligated to do under the terms of the license. I browsed the existing threads on ...

asked Aug 7 at 17:07

Distributing datasets partly built with GPLv3 library

We are planning to distribute some domain specific datasets which is the output of a complex ETL process. One of the steps of the process uses a GPLv3 library. Does this mean we have to open source ...

asked Jul 15 at 10:36

Adding autoconverting clause to AGPL?

I was wondering if there is a straightforward way to have AGPL software autoconvert to a BSD-0 license after some arbitrary time (for example, two years), similar to how the BSL works. I mostly want a ...

asked Jul 7 at 11:47

Do I need to publish source code when building on Linux image?

I have an application that is built on a Linux image with some libraries that contain licenses like GPL-2.0, GPL-3.0, LGPL-2.1, and MPL-2.0 which I understand to be copyleft. I'm new to OSS licenses ...

asked Jun 20 at 16:36

5 votes

1 answer

952 views

Best practices for relicensing what was once a derivative work

I forked a project which had the MIT license. I made substantial changes to it, rewriting it in a different language (from C++ to C) and now only a few small vestiges of the original are left in the ...

asked Jun 18 at 8:50

Understanding the commercial applications of AGPL3

I have a JavaScript library which I want to open source AND potentially make a business out of. I've seen lots of companies that provide open-source software use the AGPL3 license, but I have a few ...

asked May 19 at 8:00

2 votes

0 answers

49 views

How to give away source code for a plugin that integrates GPL with commercial product?

Say there is a commercial product that I have licensed, I have written my own plugin that integrates with a GPL licensed program. The program works fine and since it's personal use, I have not ...

asked May 12 at 0:01

Can the non-distributing end user of a software violate the MIT or GPL license?

Company A wants to buy software from company B for in-house use - that is, it will only be installed on machines of company A. Said commercial software package contains code and utilities licensed ...

asked May 3 at 15:19

3 votes

1 answer

321 views

Several 3D models can be found on printables.com that are free for Commercial Use. Some examples are: Printable Black Pearl published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Pot ...

asked Apr 22 at 4:52

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 ...

asked Apr 16 at 13:59

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 ...

asked Apr 10 at 3:56

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 ...

asked Apr 5 at 20:14

3 votes

0 answers

112 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 ...

asked Mar 28 at 13:22

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 ...

asked Mar 24 at 2:18

5 votes

1 answer

223 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 ...

asked Feb 25 at 12:32

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 ...

asked Feb 12 at 13:54

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....

asked Feb 9 at 7:36

3 votes

1 answer

76 views

Does Use of ptrace APIs Require GPL Distribution of Code

I want to use ptrace APIs in proprietary code. If I use them must I license my program as GPL? I could not find exact answer for this. I searched for libraries and applications that use the ptrace ...

asked Jan 17 at 13:04

3 votes

0 answers

68 views

Removing GPL files from a dual-licensed project with LGPL

I'm using a GitHub project dual-licensed under GPL and LGPL (some files are GPL and some are LGPL). That's why it has two files with its license terms and conditions "COPYING" and "...

asked Jan 17 at 11:07

GPLv3 use in commercially sold embedded system

I have a question about GPLv3 usage in a commercially sold embedded system. The product sold uses a Raspberry Pi under the cover, and in the users manual provided it does mention the use of GPLv3 ...

asked Jan 2 at 14:53

Include Tool under GPLv3 licence as an additional Unity executable - Is this approach viable?

Am developing an Unity game where I require the functionality of this tool (which is written in Unity itself) at runtime: https://boundingboxsoftware.com/materialize/ It essentially processes images/...

asked Nov 23, 2023 at 15:26

2 votes

1 answer

58 views

What does GPLv2 say about adding or removing source files?

GPLv2 requires, when redistributing modified version of the source code, to notify in the source files the date of change. But what about removing source files? Is there any requirements of notifying ...

asked Nov 20, 2023 at 17:39

Maintaining a parallel fork of a project that contains the original authors' company name

I have been working on my own changes to a complicated academic/scientific project whose name contains their organization (university) name that I am not part of, for example, if their organization ...

asked Nov 20, 2023 at 9:38

6 votes

1 answer

1k views

GNU licence re-distribute abandoned project

I use a project that are licensed under GNU General Public License version 2 or later The code owner has abandoned the project and announced they leave it public as FOSS on github. The company with ...

asked Nov 13, 2023 at 10:39

10 votes

3 answers

5k views

If I make my website open source, does it include page content?

Do open source licenses such as GPL or MPL include page content such as text and such within the open source file, or just code, therefore layout? Because if I go open source for my website can ...

asked Nov 13, 2023 at 3:32

Is it possible to apply the GPL license to “built static libraries”?

Is it possible to keep the source code under an exclusive license, but apply the GPL license only to the built binary code, so that software that uses this binary code is subject to a GPL-compatible ...

asked Nov 1, 2023 at 22:54

File format convertor for open source and proprietary file formats

I want to build an application that will enable a user to convert files from any one of three formats, into any of those three formats. In order words, there are three formats: aaa, bbb and ccc My ...

asked Oct 28, 2023 at 13:44

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 ...

asked Oct 20, 2023 at 10:10

Can support of GPL software legally be done in such a way as to practically force you to abandon your GPL rights?

I was looking to purchase a license to software from the author. The software is GPL licensed (I assume because its a Wordpress plugin - and thus compelled to be GPL). My interest in purchasing the ...

asked Oct 16, 2023 at 7:28

2 votes

0 answers

49 views

Need Help Choosing a FOSS License for a Swift Package With Specific Requirements [duplicate]

Stack Overflow community! I'm working on a Swift package and am having some trouble deciding which FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) license to use. I have specific requirements and am hoping ...

asked Oct 15, 2023 at 1:59

4 votes

1 answer

104 views

Is user data part of an AGPL-derived-application?

Assuming we have a kubernetes application stack consisting of - among other things - MongoDB and Metabase. Metabase is APGLv3 licensed. We share the combined code as e.g. helm charts publicly on ...

asked Oct 12, 2023 at 12:56

Why it is not possible to create a proprietary fork of GPL?-or-later software?

Let's assume there is a project under GPL2-or-later license. My understanding is that anyone can take the project and make a fork with GPL2-only additions. They could also take the project and make a ...

asked Oct 4, 2023 at 15:01

1 vote

1 answer

325 views

Which Free-software license should I use in a Unity project located on a public Github repository?

I have a Unity project in a public repository (https://github.com/AdrianXuizGarcia/VirManDC), and I want to make it open source. Im not sure which license should I use... All code and assets are made ...

asked Oct 3, 2023 at 11:14

1 vote

0 answers

30 views

Can a GPL binary, that has no source code released, be reverse engineered, and that source be released? [duplicate]

can a GPL binary, that have no source code released, be reverse engineered and that source be released? Some devs get a project in GPL, implement new things, release the binary but do not release the ...

asked Oct 2, 2023 at 11:52

BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License and GPL Version 3 Compatibility

The BSD-2-Clause Plus Patent License is known to be compatible with the GPL version 2. Since software that is released under the GPL version 2 only is not compatible with the GPL version 3, is the BSD-...

asked Sep 25, 2023 at 1:57

Gimp and Inkscape on Android: licensing (GPL?)

I have found the following apps on the Google Play store. They are traditional Linux apps for drawing, that are running on Android (with some modification to the source code, I believe). I would like ...

asked Sep 24, 2023 at 4:17

GPL classpath exception as a basis for a simple proprietary license

I'm about to release a GPL licensed application framework and am planning on dual-licensing with a proprietary license. I'm wondering if the GPL classpath exception could be used as a basis for a ...

asked Sep 18, 2023 at 15:56

-1 votes

0 answers

23 views

Is there a software license that says anyone can do what they want with it except sell it or sell modified versions of it? [duplicate]

From what I can tell GPL lets folks modify your code and sell it and MIT lets them do whatever they want. I plan on charging for my application. I am okay if someone wants to tweak it and use it for ...

asked Sep 18, 2023 at 14:17

19 votes

3 answers

4k views

GPL compliance when license was not provided? (You unknowingly derived from code that was in breach of GPL)

Let's say Person A creates some code and licenses it under a GPL license. If someone (we'll call them Person B) then creates code which derives from Person A's code, but fails to obey the terms of the ...

asked Sep 13, 2023 at 20:41

13 votes

3 answers

3k views