Linking to gpl software

The term open source was coined by christine peterson and adopted in 1998 by the founders of the open source initiative. Unfortunately the code here is released as cc bysa, which is not gplcompatible. Jul 19, 2018 a gpl linking exception modifies the gnu general public license gpl in a way that enables software projects which provide library code to be linked to the programs that use them, without applying the full terms of the gpl to the using program. You can run it on any data interpreted program, any way you like, and there are no requirements about licensing that data to anyone. Gpl linking exception wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Professional software can be costly, even prohibitively expensive, while most opensource software is free. 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. Contrary to myth neither the gpl nor the lgpl are viral, in the sense of forcing any software linked to them to adopt the licence.

How to be a good open source citizen by heather meeker this is the second half of a twopart series on how startups can best use open source software without accidentally getting themselves into a legal bind. Have you ever used gpl library for writing nongpl software. Software freedom law center guide to gpl compliance 2nd edition. The gnu licenses make no distinction between static and dynamic linking insofar as the definition of a derived work, as applied to compiled software, is concerned. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. Dont believe the hype, agpl open source licensing is toxic. Gpl software certification program free software foundation.

Jun 15, 2012 relationships between the gpl licences and other software are carefully explained in the gpl faq. Oct 31, 2014 it is licensed under the gpl plus a special exception. In the osis own words, these licenses allow software. In order to comply with the terms of the gpl the respective tplink group company which offer respective software for download or is responsible for the distribution of products that contain respective code, offers, where applicable, by itself or with the support of third parties e. Additional permission under gnu gpl version 3 section 7. Is it legal to use gpl code in a proprietary, closed. It is therefore often thought that gpllicensed software is unsuitable for proprietary projects. Most gpl version 2 software is actually licensed as gpl version 2 or any later version, or. You should have received a copy of the gnu general public license along with this program. If you link to a gpl lib then you have created a derived work and your code must be gpl this is different to lgpl code which specifically allows dynamic linking of differently licensed code. Just using a wrapper or ipc instead of linking normally is probably not enough to do this, though. Working paper on software interactions and the gnu public license july 2010 brian, malcolm 2010 software interactions and the gnu public license, ifoss l. For instance, if your code is proprietary, you wont be allowed to use a library under the gpl license.

The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is the most widely used free software license. To make my software work, it must be linked to the foo library, which is available under the lesser gpl. The software freedom law center provides practical advice for developers about including permissively licensed source. The software will be gpllicensed i link against gpllibraries, so there is no choice. The open source initiative maintains a list of approved open source licenses, which comply with the osis definition of open source.

Using lgpl code for commercial application category. Its generally appropriate for libraries and projects that want to allow linking from nongpl and nonopensource software. The gnu general public licence gpl is probably one of the most commonly used licenses for opensource projects. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our software into gplv3 works. Linking a gpl covered work statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on the gpl covered work. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundations software and to.

A copy of that license is included in this document on page x. Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail. 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. In gnu gpl it general public license requires that all its derivative works be licensed as a whole under the terms of the gpl. But if they know that what they have received is a free program plus another. My software makes a system call with a command line that i built to run the bar program, which is licensed under the gpl, with a special exception allowing for linking with quux. And it is a judge who would ultimately decide such an issue if it reaches that level of conflict. The gpl is considered the standard open source software licence, and many nonsoftware works are published under the gpl as well. If goahead is embedded into your application, or your application is linked using static or dynamic linking with libraries containing any goahead source code and you do not wish to publish your source code under the gpl, then you will need the goahead commercial license. The software included in this product contains ed software that is licensed under the gpl. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a computer program the rights of the free software.

Linking is the technical process of connecting code in a library to the using code, to produce a. Essentially, since the gpl is about binary redistrubtion, it doesnt work with web pages where the output is distributed, but the software itself doesnt have to be. Copyright law and linking reciprocity and the gpl informit. You can charge people a fee to get a copy from you. A gpl linking exception modifies the gnu general public license gpl in a way that enables software projects which provide library code to be linked to the. The traditional interpretation, and the one intended by the free software foundationfsf, publishers of the gpl. Based upon the position of the free software foundation, you may not combine epl 1. The word link actually occurs only once in the official gpl, way at the end in the last. How open source licenses work and how to add them to your. The mpl and gpl with classpath exception have certain other differences, outside the scope of this faq. This post is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not legal advice. Since gpl requires providing access to source code, and agplv3 section is an additional condition specifically added to plug the loophole in saaslike software, does not it imply that agplv3 also requires providing source code access, irrespective of whether it is modified or not. Jan, 2016 the effect of the gpl with classpath exception is similar.

In accordance with the software freedom law centers sflcs philosophy of assisting the community with gpl compliance cooperatively, this guide focuses on avoiding compliance actions and minimizing the negative impact when enforcement. Aug 26, 2008 this is a guide to effective compliance with the gnu general public license gpl and related licenses. What legal issues come up if i use gplincompatible libraries with gpl software. It is appropriate to look within the four corners of the gpl itself for guidance on this question about program linking the word link actually occurs only once in the official gpl, way at the end in the last paragraph of a nonbinding section called how to apply these terms to your new programs. The gpl grants and guarantees a wide range of rights to developers who work on opensource projects. When a program is linked with a library, whether statically or using a shared library, the combination of the two is legally speaking a combined work. Dynamic linking to lgpllicensed software does not require the main program to be distributed under the lgpl this distinction is the purpose of. A gpl linking exception modifies the gnu general public license gpl in a way that enables software projects which provide library code to be linked to the programs that use them, without applying the full terms of the gpl to the using program. As i grew in my software experience, i came across more and more open source software. However, the linking exception of the lgpl allows linking from an apache 2. Thus, the terms and conditions of the gnu general public license cover the whole combination. The free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. The purpose of this license is to ensure that a work can be freely distributed and modified by anybody, and that no proprietary works can be derived.

This d link product includes software code developed by third parties, including software code subject to the gnu general public license gpl or gnu lesser general public license lgpl. You cant require people to pay you when they get a copy from someone else. Apache an open source web server, a software foundation, and a permissive license that, unlike the gpl, allows source code to be mixed into nonopen source, commercial code. It grants end users the freedom to use, study, copy and modify a piece of software. Linking to gpl software it is appropriate to look within the four corners of the gpl itself for guidance on this question about program linking. Mar 05, 2001 the gpl allows you to modify, copy, and distribute software licensed under it, provided you also license the derived work under the gpl, and make available the source code. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project.

Frequently answered questions open source initiative. If you modify sina, or any covered work, by linking or combining it. To avoid inadvertently infecting your proprietary software with the viral effect of the gpl license, your product should dynamically link to the open source components when it is running so that your proprietary code and the open source code are not considered as a single work subject to the gpl license, which would be the legal result if the open source components were statically linked. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or gpl is a series of widely used free software licenses that guarantee end users the freedom to run, study, share, and modify the software. Software licensed under the gnu general public license is free software, and all software that builds on gpllicensed components is also free and must also be licensed under the gpl. The corresponding source for a work in object code form means all the source code needed to generate, install, and for an executable work run the object code and to modify the work, including scripts to control those activ. Global project linkingimporting files from other projects. Is it allowed to dynamically link a gpl licensed library for. Top 9 gpl with the classpath exception questions answered. Open source, dynamic linking and licensing consideration for. Duallicensing is a popular open source business model, especially using the very restrictive gnu general public license gpl. Does the agpl extend the idea of linking to include network. Dont believe the hype, agpl open source licensing is toxic and unpopular by matt asay matt asay is a veteran technology columnist who has written for cnet, readwrite, and other. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law center.

The choice of licence comes down to personal preference, and both approaches can have good or bad. Add this text to the license notice of each file in the package, at the end of the text that says the file is distributed under the gnu gpl. Despite the critical role the gpl plays in the advance of linux, not many people understand its terms. The gpl is the free software foundations general public licence.

By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software to make sure the software is free for all its users. Gnu general public license, version 3 spdx short identifier. Can i link my open source application with a gpl library. Wordpress is both free and priceless at the same time. Can i link a gpl program with a proprietary system library. D link values the importance of the open source community and has made available the files below in compliance with the gpl and lesser gpl licenses. If people were to distribute gplcovered software calling it part of a system that users know is partly proprietary, users might be uncertain of their rights regarding the gplcovered software. Using gpllicensed components in proprietary projects. Linking this library statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on this library. Linking to gpl software reciprocity and the gpl informit.

Open source would work for wordpress a project backed my a multi million dollar company but wasnt a fit for the real world. Differences between gpl and lgpl when using licensed software. Without entering in the debate whether fsfs interpretations are correct, would the converse, linking from a lgpl 2. For example, lets say you have four topicstopica, topicb, topicc, and topicdand you have not conditioned any of them before importing. The answer to both questions is the gpl, or gnu general public license, the software license that governs the linux kernel and other opensource software. The fsf claims that gpl v2 is incompatible with apache 2. Open source software rules for startups, part ii lot. As the free software foundation states, dynamically linking application to libraries creates a single work derived from both the library code and. The license of your source code must be compatible with the license of the open source code you are linking to.

Considering how a static and dynamic linkage of a gpl and non gpl portion of a code effects the software development and hence the programming to much greater extent, i dont see it to be an offtopic and hence i would request to. Linking abc statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on abc. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law. If your code interacts with the gpl code using ipc, your code doesnt need to be gpl. A short guide to open source licenses smashing magazine. This is explained in subsections 6a and 6b of the gpl. See the gnu general public license for more details. Beautiful designs, powerful features, and the freedom to build anything you want. Difference between different types of open sources licenses. The licenses were originally written by richard stallman, former head of the free software foundation fsf, for the gnu project, and grant the recipients of a. Some turn to illegal downloads because they cant afford software, but open source removes that risk.

Haufig gestellte fragen zur gnu gplv2 free software foundation. Can i link to a gpl library from a closed source application. As the free software foundation states, dynamically linking application to libraries creates a single work derived from both the library code and the application code. Considering how a static and dynamic linkage of a gpl and non gpl portion of a code effects the software development and hence the programming to much greater extent, i dont see it to be an offtopic and hence i would request to reconsider it to remain open. This is one reason it is recommended you use conditions during global project linking. The interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data. Use gpl software only if it executes 100% in its own process with no linked codedont believe myths about compliance by dynamically linking to the gpl code or making the customer download the gpl software. The above applies to both gpl version 2 and gpl version 3. Sourceforge is an open source community resource dedicated to helping open source projects be as successful as possible. Gpl software free download gpl top 4 download offers free software downloads for windows, mac, ios and android computers and mobile devices. The gnu gpl is an enforceable contract at last hackaday. The certification program provides corporations with the assurances they require when building products upon a free software infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. Use lgpl software only as a dynamically linked library. Originally written by richard stallman of the free software foundation in 1989, the gpl is now in its third iteration with the gplv3. You would need to come up with some way to avoid creating a derivative work that contains incompatibly licensed work. May 27, 2016 gpl the gnu general public license the gpl is a copyleft software licence 1 published by the usbased free software foundation. Use stack overflow answer in gpl softwarehow to ask for. Basically, it allows users to legally copy, distribute and modify software. Wordpress is open source software you can use to create a beautiful website, blog, or app. The gpl is a free software license, and therefore it permits people to use and even redistribute the software without being required to pay anyone a fee for doing so. Thus, if glibc were gpld, each and every application distributed for use on gnulinux would also need to be gpld, since to even function, such applications would need to be combined into larger works by linking with glibc. It is linus torvalds, and the thousands of other licensors under the gpl, who have standing under the law to assert their interpretations of the gpl, not the free software foundation except for that software for which they own the s. We thrive on community collaboration to help us create a premiere resource for open source software development and distribution. And use other copyleft software only if you have not modified the api. Opensource software is not pirated these programs are independently designed.