The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it for our open source product, flint. Also, the lgpl does not require you to make your code open source, even if you. Gpl can be used to run files designed for execution, whether youre developing a business site for profit, or youre simply linking information together in new ways. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. A program that contains no derivative of any portion of the library, but is designed to work with the library by being compiled or linked with it, is. Stallman devised an alternative to the commercial software license and called it the gpl, or gnu public license. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain without. Fluendo includes ffmpeg libraries licensed under lgpl. Please dont treat this as legal advice, but as long as you comply with lgpl and avoid using gpl parts such as the x264 encoder you should be fine as far as ffmpeg is concerned. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc. Feb 25, 2006 if this is what you want to do, use the gnu lesser general public license instead of this license. Anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications that use the library. Which license is best for a given library is a matter of strategy, and it depends on the details of the situation. Moving to the issue of source publication, that is specifically, deliberately removed under lgpl lesser gpl, providing certain conditions are met.
As for openness and freedom, they talk about softwares source code not what you can do with it. Why the gpl is incompatible with commercial software. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web site. Can i use an lgpllicenced library in my commercial app. This means that you still cannot use these modules in closedsource software. So a futre consumer product licensing opensource software under gplv3 could not be protected in this way against device vulnerability. I also often find it confused with gpl, which is something you should never, ever even consider to use in any closed source software that you intend to distribute. The lgpl is a weaker form of the gpl that is not contagious over library boundaries. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web. Both licences allow the use of the library for commercial purpose. Gpl vs lgpl gpl and lgpl are software licenses that protect the freedom of the users to share andor change open source software. The gpl was intended to make sure that anyone could use the software but not.
The term open source was coined by christine peterson and adopted in 1998 by the founders of the open source initiative. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. In combination with the polyform noncommercial license we sell licenses for customers who use epplus in a commercial business. Qt documentation is available under commercial licenses from the qt company, and under the terms of the gnu free documentation license fdl version 1. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that modifications are described and licensed for free under lgpl. The goal of the lgpl is to allow for using their software freely without being. The commercial qt license gives you the full rights to create and distribute software on your own terms without any open source license obligations. The use of lgpl is limited to software libraries and similar set ups. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license.
The external use of gpllicensed applications, if it is providing service around the application that constitutes the business model. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. As long as you meet the requirements that gpl or lgpl impose on you, you have nothing to worry about. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. Sony mobile offers to provide source code of software licensed under the gpl or lgpl or some other open source licenses allowing source code distribution to you on a cdrom for a charge covering. It is a software license published by the free software foundation.
If the answer is no, gpl does not restrict your activities in any way agpl does. Difference between gpl and lgpl compare the difference. This could be good for free software if it happens to a large extent. Using the ordinary gpl for a library gives free software developers an advantage over proprietary developers. Versions prior to version 5 are licensed under lgpl. Some features, such as support for some external libraries libx264 and libx265 for example and various filters, are covered by the gnu general public license gpl version 2 or later see commercial x264 license exception below. The qt libraries are available under the gpl or lgpl license. Why you shouldnt use the lesser gpl for your next library.
With the commercial license you also have access to the official qt support and close strategic relationship with the qt. The supplier understandably was not thrilled about the rework that implied and asked for an explanation and ideally some way to make it work within the license. The reasoning behind this is to promote open source. The free software foundation recommends taking the additional step of adding a boilerplate notice to the top of each file. From version 5, we have changed the license from lgpl to polyform noncommercial 1. Software licensed with any gnu license can be used and modified everywhere, without any restrictions in private and even in corporate environments. Launch4j has an opportunity to use a bundled jre, so. Can i use the gplv3 license for my commercial application. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain. Lesser general public license lgpl definition what does lesser general public license lgpl mean.
If you releasedistribute software using lgpld libraries, your software doesnt need to be covered by the gpl, but the libraries must retain the lgpl. Track in fossa gnu lesser general public license v2. Im interested in using some gnu licensed software to help my employer attract clients. Insert the word lesser before general in all three places in the boilerplate notice to make sure that you refer to the gnu lgplv3 and not the gnu gplv3. No, not without contacting the original author and getting permission from them to use the code in an apache project under the apache license 2. Using gpllicensed components in proprietary projects. For proprietary software, code under the lgpl is usually used in the form of a shared library, so that there is a clear separation between the proprietary and lgpl components. The intention of the gpl general public license is to promote free open source software. The license allows developers and companies to use and integrate a software component released under the lgpl into their own even proprietary software without being required by the terms of a strong copyleft license to release the source code of their own components. Doug leas concurrent library doug leas concurrent library is public domain, but contains some sun files which are not public domain.
The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it. Asf 3rd party license policy the apache software foundation. The qml compiler will stay under commercial license for qt 5. A very fast tutorial on open source licenses contact and. Top 10 microsoft public license mspl questions answered. Im working on a commercial software for restaurants and id like to use jasperreports for generating printable documents. With the commercial license you also have access to the official qt support and close strategic relationship with the qt company to make sure your development goals are met. You can also use lgpl d code, but watch out for the extra restrictions. The only big restriction is that you must keep the library open source, including any modifications you make to it, and allow your users to obtain the source, licence and information for the library.
Lgpl commercial use i want to use an lgpllicensed library. Qt contains some code that is not provided under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl or the qt commercial license, but rather under specific licenses from the original authors the qt company gratefully acknowledges these and other contributions to qt. May 11, 2020 epplus 5 uses a dual license model, with polyform noncommercial as the community license and a commercial license for commercial businesses. Apr 17, 2010 the agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it for our open source product, flint. If the proprietary software youre writing is only for internal use, or youre writing it for hire for another company that will only use it internally, then youre safe to use gpld or lgpl d code because you wont trigger the distribution clause. I use launch4j to create a windows executable from the applications jar file, this makes much easier to install and launch the software. A very fast tutorial on open source licenses contact and coil. Using jasperreports in a commercial software jaspersoft.
You can use and distribute lgpl libraries on your website and use them in combination with commercial code. A lesser general public license lgpl is a license for opensource software that allows for provisions for including elements of free software in either free or proprietary software. But the wording of both the license and the faq is misleading, and the suggestion that you can gpl your commercial software is disingenuous. Most software with licenses have restricted freedom when it comes to modifications and distribution, but gpl and lgpl take away those restrictions thus giving their users more leeway. You can also use lgpld code, but watch out for the extra restrictions. Lesser general public license is sometimes referred to as library gpl or gnu libraries, and some associate it with the idea of. It should also be possible to exchange that dynamically linked library for an independently compiled build. Most commonly gplv2 or any later version is stated by users of the license, to allow upgrading to gplv3. Describes the ability to use the software for commercial purposes.
It is also possible to modify the code under the condition that the resulting modification is released as source code under the lgpl with any binary distribution of your software that uses these lgpl parts. However, it will be integrated into the qtdeclarative module for qt 5. I suspect that because lgpl allows making the source code of the library that you linked to available via a download, it must be ok to use an lgpl licensed lib in your app for microsofts marketplace. Ugur, we use lgpl builds of ffmpeg in our commercial products for developers. Why you should use a bsd style license for your open source. There are reasons that can make it better to use the lesser gpl in certain cases. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. Both licenses have the same intention, namely to protect the freedom of users to use and modify the software licensed under lgpl. My client has commercial reasons to avoid copyleftstyle licenses and so i flagged the library as unusable. The gnu project has two principal licenses to use for libraries. But one important thing to take care of is that the gnu lgpl covered library is dynamically linked, not statically mixed with the main application.
We recommend that programs that use qt also acknowledge these contributions, and quote these license statements in an appendix to the. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. Aug 26, 2008 sflc continues to conduct gpl enforcement and compliance efforts for many of its clients who release their software under the gpl, the gnu lesser public license lgpl and other copyleft licenses. Support to any codecs using gpl licensed software was disabled, so it can be used. They cant say software is halfopen for commercial developers because its not ture.
The boilerplate can be found at the end of the gnu gplv3 license. Using the ordinary gpl is not advantageous for every library. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. A lesser general public license lgpl is a license for opensource software that allows for provisions for including elements of free software in either free or proprietary software lgpl permits use of the library in proprietary programs if libraries were modified then corebank 12. It keeps your code bona fide open source, so people who want to use and extend it noncommercially can do so without worrying about you at all.
The thing is, pyside2 is for using the qt framework with python programs. If a great library is only available under gpl it will force software that want to use the library to be free open source too. So this post is an effort to explain and answer common questions about the lgpl. Can i use a gnu lgplv3 npm package in a closed source. The term free software is older, and is reflected in the name of the free software foundation fsf, an organization founded in 1985 to protect and promote free software. Ffmpeg is licensed under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl version 2. Youve already got the answer that lgpl libraries can be used in commercial software. Aug 28, 2014 the restrictions of including unedited lgpl software in your product are fairly simple and can be somewhat oversimplistically summarized as. Besides the lgpl license for pyside2, youll have to make sure that you comply with the qt licensing terms. The lgpl prohibits sublicensing, yet each user that receives the software automatically has the right to run, modify and distribute the work. In doing so, we have found that most violations stem from a few common mistakes that can be, for the most part, easily avoided.
Lesser general public license is sometimes referred to as library gpl or gnu libraries, and some associate it with the idea of engineering for libraries in shared resources. The license allows developers and companies to use and integrate a software component released under the lgpl into their own even proprietary gnu lesser general public license v3 lgpl 3. I know selling said software to other parties as my own is obviously against the rules, but what about simply using it in a commercial application and making commercial gain with its use. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl 2. One was using the gnu lesser general public license lgpl. The lgpl is primarily used for software libraries, although it is also used by some standalone applications. For commercial licensees, all modules are available under a single, commercial qt license. Sep 03, 2016 gpl, also known as copyleft, grants permission to reuse or modify the source code to make derivative works, but if you distribute your program to others, it requires you to license your derivative work under the gpl too. Sometimes, using the lgpl for a library might lead to wider use of that library, and thus to more improvement for it, wider support for free software, and so on. How do i opensource a software that uses proprietary code that i own, but. Difference between gpl and lgpl difference between. Gpl does not distinguish between commercial and non commercial use or distribution.
Sep 03, 2015 the lgpl is a weaker copyleft version of the gpl that allows proprietary software to use or link to lgpl ed components without having to subject their proprietary files to the lgpl i. Im not clear on how that affects your products licensing. Colti colti using jasperreports in a commercial software 20051204 08. The version numbers diverged in 1999 when version 2. Modification of lgpld components suggests contribution back to the creatormaintainer. Differences between gpl and lgpl when using licensed software. The second version agplv2 was published in november 2007, as a transitional license to allow an upgrade path from. If the proprietary software youre writing is only for internal use, or youre writing it for hire for another company that will only use it internally, then youre safe to use gpld or lgpld code because you wont trigger the distribution clause. Derivatives works including modifications or anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law center. This license agreement applies to any software library or other program which contains a notice placed by the holder or other authorized party saying it may be distributed under the terms of this lesser general public license also. Related question i know that 7zip can be used in commercial applications provided that to specify in your documentation 1 that you used parts of the 7zip program, 2 that 7zip is licensed under the gnu lgpl license and 3 you must give a link to. Lgplv3 is the current version of the gnu lesser general public license.
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