Most gpl version 2 software is actually licensed as gpl version 2 or any later version, or. 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. The usual disclaimers apply, this is not legal advice. Modification of lgpld components suggests contribution back to the creatormaintainer. Top 10 gnu gpl license questions answered whitesource. The lgpl license allows you to distribute these mariadb client libraries freely with any application. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl2. Not doing anything the advice above for lgpl when just linking to a dll is a violation of the mit license. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web site. See how to choose a license for your own work for general recommendations about choosing a license for your work. Qt for application development is duallicensed under commercial and open source licenses. The lgpl guarantees that hibernate and any modifications made to hibernate will stay open source, protecting our and your work.
The gpl is far, far more authorfriendly than the bsd license is. Jan 27, 2011 gpl vs lgpl gpl and lgpl are software licenses that protect the freedom of the users to share andor change open source software. Gnu general public license, version 3 spdx short identifier. 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. In combination with the polyform noncommercial license we sell licenses for customers who. What is foss licensesapache, bsd, gpl, lgpl explained. The fcml library is free for commercial and noncommercial use as long as the terms of the lgpl license are met. The second version agplv2 was published in november 2007, as a transitional license to allow an upgrade path from.
While you may download our software product under the lgpl free of charge, we also offer our. 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. For more information about how to release your own software under this license, please see our page of instructions. The version numbers diverged in 1999 when version 2. The gpl protects the main articles of software freedom are. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. The most common reason for releasing software under an open source license is that a commercial or nonprofit group is developing commercial software but. Gpl vs lgpl gpl and lgpl are software licenses that protect the freedom of the users to share andor change open source software. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. However you must license qt under the lgpl and discharge your responsibilities under that license. Anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications that use the library. If you releasedistribute software using lgpld libraries, your software doesnt need to be covered by the gpl, but the libraries must retain the lgpl. In combination with the polyform noncommercial license we sell licenses for customers who use epplus in a commercial business. 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.
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. Oracle elects to use only the gnu lesser general public license version 2. Apr 17, 2010 it restricts you from using software to build nongpl software including bsdlicensed free software, but it prevents software from being taken private by commercial developers. Describes the ability to use the software for commercial purposes. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. Derivatives works including modifications or anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications. 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 called a work that uses the library. Ffmpeg is licensed under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl version 2. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. Can i use an lgpllicenced library in my commercial app. What is foss licensesapache, bsd, gpl, lgpl explained techcode.
Legal issues are a constant source of questions and confusion. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl 2. Im not clear on how that affects your products licensing. As such, the lgpl is considered a more commercial friendly license than the gpl, since lgpl libraries can be freely utilized by commercial software. The lgpl and gpl licenses differ with one major exception. Word processors android apps ios apps commercial trademarked formerly proprietary formerly opensource community free software. So a futre consumer product licensing opensource software under gplv3 could not be protected in this way against device vulnerability. 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.
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. 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. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the free software foundation fsf. A lesser general public license is used to license free software so that it can be incorporated into both free software and proprietary software, and is often referred to as the weaker sibling of gpl. In doing so, we have found that most violations stem from a few common mistakes that can be, for the most part, easily avoided.
Both licenses have the same intention, namely to protect the freedom of users to use and modify the software licensed under lgpl. 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. This license is a set of additional permissions added to version 3 of the gnu general public license. Mention of lgplmit source code in a commercial software. Here are some frequently asked questions regarding our licenses. Lgplv3 is the current version of the gnu lesser general public license. A oneline disassembler a oneline assembler an experimental multipass loadandgo assembler multi line. The boilerplate can be found at the end of the gnu gplv3 license. This is an attempt to clarify the most important issues. Sony mobile offers to provide source code of software licensed under the gpl or lgpl or some other open source licenses allowing source code. 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.
Asf 3rd party license policy the apache software foundation. See the wikipedia article on the lgpl for more information. A practical guide to gpl compliance software freedom law. If you are not sure whether the lgpl is right for you, you can always test our software under the lgpl and inspect the source code before you contact us about purchasing a commercial license. It restricts you from using software to build nongpl software including bsdlicensed free software, but it prevents software from being taken private by commercial developers. Our commercial products include support and services. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that modifications are described and licensed for free under lgpl. Why you shouldnt use the lesser gpl for your next library. Lesser general public license lgpl definition what does lesser general public license lgpl mean.
Both licenses have the same intention, namely to protect the freedom of users to. Most commonly gplv2 or any later version is stated by users of the license, to allow upgrading to gplv3. The lgpl license explicitly allows such usages of librariespackages released under that license. With the commercial license you also have access to the official qt support.
Fluendo includes ffmpeg libraries licensed under lgpl. The lgpl is sufficiently flexible to allow the use of hibernate in both open source and commercial projects. 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. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. Difference between gpl and lgpl compare the difference. For commercial licensees, all modules are available under a single, commercial qt license.
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. You can use and distribute lgpl libraries on your website and use them in combination with commercial code. The lgpl license allows an application that references the binaries to remain closedsource. The restrictions of including unedited lgpl software in your product are fairly simple and can be somewhat oversimplistically summarized as. The agpl makes straightforward commercial sense we use it. 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. The thing is, pyside2 is for using the qt framework with python programs. Also, theres nothing preventing you from selling an open source. Support to any codecs using gpl licensed software was disabled, so it can be used. The commercial qt license gives you the full rights to create and distribute software on your own terms without any open source license obligations. Moving to the issue of source publication, that is specifically, deliberately removed under lgpl lesser gpl, providing certain conditions are met. 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. Even modules like the virtual keyboard, the software renderer for qml without opengl and the unittest integration into qtcreator will become available under gpl. From version 5, we have changed the license from lgpl to polyform noncommercial 1.
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. With the commercial license you also have access to the official qt support and close strategic relationship with the qt. Differences between gpl and lgpl when using licensed software. Youve already got the answer that lgpl libraries can be used in commercial software. This is at least the stated goal of the qt company.
Besides the lgpl license for pyside2, youll have to make sure that you comply with the qt licensing terms. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. Epplus 5 uses a dual license model, with polyform noncommercial as the community license and a commercial license for commercial businesses. Such a work, in isolation, is not a derivative work of the library, and therefore falls outside the. The mariadb client library included with the mariadb server is also gpl version 2, but has a floss exception that allows you to combine it with most other open source software, without conflicting with their license, even if that license is. The lgpl basically requires read the full license and faq for details. The first version of the affero general public license agplv1, was published by affero, inc. The library refers to a covered work governed by this license, other than an application or a combined work as defined below. Track in fossa gnu lesser general public license v2. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the. Also, theres nothing preventing you from selling an open source app on the microsoft app marketplace.
When using an lgpl library package like pyside2, your obligations are to allow and make it possible that users of your software replace the librarypackage that actually gets used when running the software. The gpl, lgpl, and mozilla licenses understanding open. Lesser general public license is sometimes referred to as library gpl or gnu libraries, and some associate it with the idea of. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is another license created by the fsf for the purpose of permitting a certain class of programs, generally subroutine libraries, to be licensed under an fsf license but be permitted to link with nongpl software programs. The gnu general public license is a free software license, created by the free software foundationfsf. The free software foundation recommends taking the additional step of adding a boilerplate notice to the top of each file. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web. Originally known as the gnu library general public license, it was drafted by the free software foundation fsf to provide a weaker or lesser form of copyleft for use in certain specific circumstances. Qt documentation is available under commercial licenses from the qt company, and under the terms of the gnu free documentation license fdl version 1.
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