Hi All
I am developing a CRM system for small/medium companies, and i want to integrate a GPL software as a module to my system(with some modification on my demand). Will it be legal to license it as a commercial product ?
Thanks.
+1
A:
If you don't ship any GPL licensed software with your product, I think you're fine.
- Then the user would have to download the program
- If you make any changes to the GPL program for distribution, you have to publish those
Andrioid
2009-05-23 08:32:25
He says he wants to use GNU code in his product, so he will be shipping GPL licensed code.
anon
2009-05-23 08:36:57
And nothing in the GPL requires you to publish anything. You have to provide source to your licencees.
anon
2009-05-23 08:41:33
+2
A:
As usual, IANAL, but:
If you're using a software module licensed under GPL, your software will fall under the definition of "derived work", and thus has be licensed under the GPL as well.
You'll want to review the exact definition of "derived work" yourself, though.
JesperE
2009-05-23 08:32:38
As an addition it could be mentioned the GNU licence faq has an entry for this specific case: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#GPLCommercially
Fredrik Mörk
2009-05-23 08:34:12
+2
A:
It depends what you mean by "commercial product". If you use GPL code, your code becomes covered by the GPL and you cannot provide a license for it that removes the stritures of the GNU license. This does not mean tjhat you cannot sell the product, but it does mean that you must provide your licensees, on request, with its source code.
anon
2009-05-23 08:35:32
Actually i am planning to sell it to some local companies. i will modify it and integrate to the rest modules(written by me).
shuxer
2009-05-23 08:41:28
Then you have to provide the source - for the whole shebang, not just the modified GNU stuff.
anon
2009-05-23 08:44:50
Well I'll play devils advocate here: The only way to protect your property here would be to use a code obfuscator. But there's a reason for the GPL for being exactly like the GPL and I would defend it against... well myself in this case.... anytime!
AndreasT
2009-05-23 08:56:17
Then i have to provide source codes for the whole system ? or just for GNU module one? The rest modules totally written by me.
shuxer
2009-05-23 08:57:00
I really have to reemphasize: If you don't give anything back, be it only the commitment to contribute your code, you commit something similar to theft. I know it is a nuisance sometimes, but it is a part of a better world, a more or less selfless advancement in humanity... <add for yourself more OS religiophilosphical preaching> . Seriously: If you want to close it, you should buy one of the commercial general purpose libraries out there, they usually aint too expensive if you have more than one customer.
AndreasT
2009-05-23 09:05:55
@shuxer: To Answer your comment: Yes. Even the self written part.Quote:"Linking ABC statically or dynamically with other modules is making a combined work based on ABC. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU General Public License cover the whole combination."This is really nasty, Iknow...
AndreasT
2009-05-23 09:09:22
@ AndreasT. No. It's not theft unless the original license requires you to share. Closed-source software is fine, moral, and legal.
Paul Nathan
2009-06-10 22:20:33
A:
Using GPL in a commercial product is a very complex matter. In the times of GPLv2 there was a grey zone that's been very thoroughly cleaned up in GPLv3. To provide detailed information, you should let us know what module it is you're using and what version of GPL it falls under.
It all comes down to "is your code a derived work of the GPL module". To give a stupid example. If the GPL module is a bubblesort and your application uses the API of the module, it's a derived work, so everything falls under GPL. If you make webservice around the module, the webservice is GPL but anything using the webservice is not. In an even more grey area, if you have old code using another sort algorithm and you make a "wrapping" layer to change translate the API from the old sort to the new sort, then only the wrapping layer is GPL as the original application is not a derived work (it was available before you used the GPL module and not written with the GPL module in mind). Note that this is all highly debatable, but things like non-GPL binary linux kernel module exist based on this interpretation of GPLv2.
Like Neil already said: Falling under GPL doesn't mean you have to publish your code. Only when a person having a license for your software asks for it, you should provide it. A random person cannot just ask for the code unless he/she actually bought the application. Of course, only one person has to buy it and then he/she does whatever he/she wants with the code (like pusblish it for example).
Ron
2009-06-10 22:16:54