Many of our customers use qt, which is a great product for embedded gui creation, and indeed we supply qtready arm linux builds to help them. 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. I am making a commercial application for my own company. They cant say software is halfopen for commercial developers because its not ture. Why you shouldnt use the lesser gpl for your next library.
Paraview uses a permissive bsd license that enables the broadest possible audience, including commercial organizations, to use the software, royalty free, for most purposes. Most commercial software comply simply by dynamically linking to qt. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web site. I want to use the greybox plugin for jquery in my commercial. Describes the ability to use the software for commercial purposes. Lesser general public license is sometimes referred to as library gpl or gnu libraries, and some associate it with the idea of. Anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications that use the library dont have to be. 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. However you must license qt under the lgpl and discharge your responsibilities under that license. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc.
A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law. As used herein, this license refers to version 3 of the gnu lesser general public license, and the gnu gpl refers to version 3 of the gnu general public license. Can i use the opensource qt license in a commercial project. 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. Using jasperreports in a commercial software 20051204 08. The lgpl basically requires read the full license and faq for details you mention that it is licensed under the lgpl, with reference to the full. Support to any codecs using gpl licensed software was disabled, so it can be used. The commons clause prohibits any commercial use of the software. If you receive software under an open source license, you can always use that software for commercial purposes, but that doesnt always mean you can place further restrictions on people who receive the software from you. 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 lgpllicensed lib in your app for microsofts marketplace. It identifies the acceptable licenses for inclusion of thirdparty open source components in apache software foundation products. See how to choose a license for your own work for general recommendations about choosing a license for your work. If opensource software is licensed under the lgpl, other software developers may use it for their software development projects even if their projects are closedsource or otherwise proprietary or commercial in nature. The lgpl was developed as a compromise between the strong copyleft of the gnu general public license gpl and more permissive licenses such as the bsd licenses and the mit license.
Most surveys indicate that the vast majority of open source projects use the mit license, the apache license, and the gpl or their variants. The commercial qt license gives you the full rights to create and distribute software on your own terms without any open source license obligations. Why you should use a bsd style license for your open source. 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. Some customers use commercial qt and thus pay the qt company per runtime license, and some use the opensource version and dont pay. As for openness and freedom, they talk about softwares source code not what you can do with it. If the library as you received it specifies that a certain numbered version of the gnu lesser general public license or any later version applies to it, you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that published version or of any later version published by. The software included in this product contains ed software that is licensed under the gpl. Apr 17, 2010 the agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it for our open source product, flint.
In combination with the polyform noncommercial license we sell licenses for customers who use epplus in a commercial business. Differences between gpl and lgpl when using licensed software. The lesser general public license is sometimes described as a weak copyleft license, because code licensed under lgpls terms can be combined with code under nonfree licenses, and is. 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. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web. This policy provides licensing guidance to apache software foundation projects. The intention of the gpl general public license is to promote free open source software. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it for our open source product, flint.
The most common reason for releasing software under an open source license is that a commercial or nonprofit group is developing commercial software but. From version 5, we have changed the license from lgpl to polyform noncommercial 1. In other words, the gpl is well suited for use as a marketing weapon, potentially reducing overall economic benefit and contributing to monopolistic behavior. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu. My question is that if i will be able to sell the software packed along with pyside2 without making my proprietary code public. The library refers to a covered work governed by this license, other than an application or a combined work as defined below. Originally lgpl was read out as library general public license. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl 2. 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. Im interested in using some gnu licensed software to help my employer attract clients. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it.
Can i use lgpl in commercial software lesextensionsde. 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. The gnu project has two principal licenses to use for libraries. You are allowed to use free software for commercial purposes. I want to use it as a third party software for my project. The thing is, pyside2 is for using the qt framework with python programs. Can gnu licensed software be used for commercial gain without. My understanding is that with lgpl, can i link and use an lgpl library for commercial use, as long as i dont copy code. This page is maintained by the free software foundations licensing and compliance lab.
With the commercial license you also have access to the official qt support and close strategic relationship with the qt. Both licenses have the same intention, namely to protect the freedom of users to use and modify the software 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. I really mean that can i use the command line 7zip. In addition, there are other licenses that are applicable because of other packages leveraged by paraview or developed by collaborators. Fluendo includes ffmpeg libraries licensed under lgpl. Jun 21, 2016 most surveys indicate that the vast majority of open source projects use the mit license, the apache license, and the gpl or their variants. The reasoning behind this is to promote open source. If the library as you received it specifies that a certain numbered version of the gnu lesser general public license or any later version applies to it, you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that published version or of any later version published by the free software foundation. The fcml library is free for commercial and noncommercial use as long as the terms of the lgpl license are met.
It is a software license published by the free software foundation. Dec 06, 2004 want to write a commercial shareware application. Frequently answered questions open source initiative. The copyleft licenses simply require you to keep your modifications also free. The lgpl is a weaker form of the gpl that is not contagious over library boundaries. This is a general purpose machine code manipulation library for ia32 and intel 64 architectures. Asf 3rd party license policy apache software foundation. Why the gpl is incompatible with commercial software. I am really bothered with the gnu lgpl license, is this really mean that my codes will be an open source also or exposed my codes once i use the command line of 7zip. Youve already got the answer that lgpl libraries can be used in commercial software. Your commercial program then needs to comply with the obligations under the lgpl. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl2. If you have some code you are thinking of releasing under an open source license, and you want a quick overview of the broadstrokes differences between these licenses, you have come to the right place.
I will be using pyside2 without any modification to it for designing the gui. Can i use an lgpllicenced library in my commercial app. You can support our efforts by making a donation to the fsf. A copy of that license is included in this document on page x. Lgplv3 is the current version of the gnu lesser general public 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. That make sense for programs you compile to binary, but what about javascript. Many commercial business models arent possible with copyleft licenses, though. The gnu lesser general public license gnu lgpl was designed as a solution for such situations. I want to use pyside2 in it which comes under the lgpl license. If this is what you want to do, use the gnu lesser general public license instead of this license.
The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the free software foundation fsf. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. The fcml library is free for commercial and non commercial use as long as the terms of the lgpl license are met. If they have a licensing question, projects are asked to submit questions to the legal affairs committee jira space. If opensourc e software is licensed under the lgpl, other software developers may use it for their software development projects even if their projects are closedsource or otherwise proprietary or commercial in nature. A less publicized and unintended use of the gpl is that it is very favorable to large companies that want to undercut software companies.
Besides the lgpl license for pyside2, youll have to make sure that you comply with the qt licensing terms. I use launch4j to create a windows executable from the applications jar file, this makes much easier to install and launch the software. 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. However, you must allow the user to use your app with their own version of the qt library. The lesser general public license is sometimes described as a weak copyleft license, because code licensed under lgpls terms can be combined with code under nonfree licenses, and is sometimes used in that fashion. Im working on a commercial software for restaurants and id like to use jasperreports for generating printable documents. You can use and distribute lgpl libraries on your website and use them in combination with commercial code. Using jasperreports in a commercial software jaspersoft. 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. However, note that commercial is not the same as proprietary. By 1990, it was becoming apparent that a less restrictive license would be strategically useful for the c library and for software libraries that essentially did the job of existing proprietary ones. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. 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.
Can i use lgpl in commercial software you can use and distribute lgpl libraries on your website and use them in combination with commercial code. The lgpl is primarily used for software libraries, although it is also used by some standalone applications. Users choosing to use cgal under the freeofcharge open source license have to comply to its terms, otherwise they have to buy a commercial license. The library supports unixlike systems as well as windows and is highly portable. Feb 25, 2006 if this is what you want to do, use the gnu lesser general public license instead of this license.
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