What if anything is wrong with the apache license 2. The gpl licenses gplv3, gplv2, lgpl, affero gpl all contain some kind of sharealike license. Gnu lesser general public license free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used free software license, origin. The apache software foundation and the free software foundation agree that the apache license 2. However, the linking exception of the lgpl allows linking from an apache 2.
Gnu lesser gpl and apache software licenses denver business. Open source licenses grant permission for anybody to use, modify, and share licensed software for any purpose, subject to conditions preserving the provenance and openness of the software. It seems to me that the chief difference between the mit license and gpl is that the mit doesnt require modifications be open sourced whereas the. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. Apr 02, 2016 the free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. It also contains a patent license and retaliation clause which is designed to prevent patents including patent trolls from encumbering the software project. The lgpl on the other hand has the requirement that either the lgpl library links dynamically and can be replaced by a user or the entire work must be released under a gplcompatible opensource license.
Otherwise, java projects may contain both apache licensed code and lgpl licensed code without conflict. One has the gnu lgpl 3 license and the other has the apache software license, version 2. Asf is the apache software foundation and not a license. Among the permissive class of free software licences, apache 2. The question seems to be whether there is a licensing problem in richfaces because, while much of the code is specifically licensed under lgpl version 2. Let us examine why these corporations stay away from gpl and favor the apache license.
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. Describes the ability for you to grantextend a license to the software. This is done in a relatively simple fashion by taking the. Understanding which license to choose for your code speckyboy. This allows the code to be used in otherwise proprietary software. Otherwise, java projects may contain both apachelicensed code and lgpllicensed code without conflict. Asf 3rd party license policy apache software foundation. Roshen is a partner at exygy with deep experience in leadership, change management, product, and digital innovation. The difference between the gpl and the lgpl is that with the lgpl, the entire work doesnt have to have the same license. Gplv3 of june 29, 2007 contains the basic intent of gplv2 and is an open source license with a strict copyleft what types of licenses are there for open source software, and how do they differ. The apache license includes a clause for automatic attribution of patches under the same license. Lgpl license gnu lgpl lesser general public license covers around 10% of the free software projects and is mainly used by libraries. The third party product a is subject to apache 2 license.
In this article, we take a look at the difference between this two licenses to find out why. Lgpl cancels it out by not requiring other projects with parts. With a weaker copyleft than the lgpl, the eclipse license is more. Fsf explicitly calls out that combination as not allowable for public distribution. This is a lax, permissive free software license, compatible with the gnu gpl, which. Gnu lgpl vs gpl lsoftware icensing short transcript. Licenses for your open source project mit vs gpl vs apache. Gnu general public license, version 2 spdx short identifier. Tldrlegal provides generally good summaries of licenses. I can include mitlicensed code in a gpllicensed product, but can i include gpllicensed code in a mitlicensed product. Lgpl license is incompatible with apache license issue. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our software into gplv3 works. Do i need to dual license it under apache to fix this. The gpl is by far the best software license for endusers of the code.
The fsf claims that gpl v2 is incompatible with apache 2. Non software enterprises like banks or states and folk like your dad benefit a lot from gpl license. Free software license provider mit license, apache license 2019 apache license the apache software foundation asf is a nonprofit corporation to support apache software projects. Patent clauses in software licences software patents wiki. The license, as applied in practice, must not impose significant restrictions beyond those imposed by the apache license 2. The patent provisions of the common public license cpl and eclipse public license epl are described by mark webbink as quite similar to that of the apache license, version 2. If alicensed software can link to b licensed software, this does not imply that linking in the reverse. Do i need to duallicense it under apache to fix this. We recommend that programs that use qt also acknowledge these contributions, and quote these license. If you are releasing software under a gpl license, it is also necessary to. The osi recommends a mix of permissive and copyleft licenses, the apache license 2.
Since you have access to the codes through open source software, you are permitted to make changes, improve it, and create your own twist. Nonsoftware enterprises like banks or states and folk. Lesser general public license gpl licence requires that only gpl code can link to the gpl libraries, even if the library is contained in a separate file. The apache software foundation asf is a nonprofit corporation to support apache software projects.
It basically says that anyone can do whatever they want with the licensed material, as long as its accompanied by the license. The apache license is an open source software license released by the apache software foundation asf. 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. 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. We can check what the apache software foundation says on the topic. If a software under gpl or a modified version of a gpled software is released to the public, the distributor needs to make the source code.
Weve compiled a list of your top 10 questions about the gpl license in the. The mit license is the least restrictive license out there. The apache license, on the other hand, is favored by the big corporations for their open source projects. She is currently an account and strategy partner for exygys civic portfolio, which includes the city and county of sf, center for effective public policy, metropolitan transportation commission, and judicial council of california. Jan 21, 20 apache is decent model when you have expertise and money, but do not have significant market share yet. Various licenses and comments about them gnu project free. Creative commons licenses are several licenses released on december 16, 2002 by creative commons, a u. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack. Gnu gpl, lgpl, apache licence types and differences slideshare. 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. Weve compiled a list of your top 10 questions about the gpl license in the last post. Here is a list of the components and their licenses.
This is to protect the owner of the work against implicit guarantees or user. The apache license does not place any restrictions on software that links to a plugin or library that is distributed under the apache license. Gnu gpl, lgpl, apache licence types and differences. Among the two gpl is the basis of open source software for programmers. However, the language of the license text was strongly amended and is much more comprehensive in response to technical and legal changes and international license exchange. Why corporations favors the apache license over the gpllgpl. The differences between the gpl, lgpl and the bsd fosswire. The apache license has a similar philosophy to the mit, but uses more words. Let us examine why these corporations stay away from gpl. Gpl offers a wide range of potential improvements for the entire programming community. The licenses are incompatible in one direction only, and it is a result of asfs licensing philosophy and the gplv3 authors interpretation of law. Distributing any work a piece of code, a software program, or even markup.
So, for instance, the mit license grants users the right to deal in the software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, andor sell copies of the software. Mpl allows static linking copying into your code for proprietary software and lgpl does not. I also show how you can sell open source software by selling license exceptions. More practically though many businesses that do not mind updating a library they use but do mind releasing all of their software are scared of anything with gpl in it. The terms state that users cant remove existing, patent, trademarks and attribution notices. We generally recommend the latest version of the lgpl, for special circumstances only. Various licenses and comments about them gnu project. The licenses are incompatible in one direction only, and it is a result of asfs licensing.
Qt dual gplqpl would pick qpl in this case since gpl is not compatible with apache license kdekspread lgpl apache poi library apache software license the apache poi library would essentially work as a plugin filter to the kspread library. Gpl licensed code cant be used for paid and proprietary software. What is foss licensesapache, bsd, gpl, lgpl explained techcode. A short guide to open source licenses smashing magazine. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. It is also a copyleft license and modified versions must be released under the same license. The free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. May 31, 2012 the licenses seen most often are the following.
This license, the lesser general public license, applies to some specially designated software packagestypically librariesof the free software foundation and other authors who decide to use it. 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. Among other things, were often asking joe about software licensing issues. If you modify the software, you still have to give back the source code, but you are allowed to link it with proprietary stuff without giving the source code to all of that back. 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. Asfs objective is to provide legal protection to volunteers working on the apache project and to protect the apache brand name from being used by other organization. Gpl is basically the legal terminology that makes open source software what it is.
In this video i explain the difference between mit, gpl, apache licenses and how to write custom licenses. Gpl, lgpl, apache, bsd, the great thing about open source code is the large amount of high quality code that is available and many embedded projects use foss code as it really speeds up development time. Of these licenses, the apache license is seen pretty infrequently outside of apache software foundation software. Heres the second post in our open source software license faq series. Top 10 apache license questions answered whitesource. This sounds like a useful property lessoning the need to get contributers to provide an explicit waiver. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions closed ask question.
It allows users of the lgpl software to combine it with other software, whether it is free or proprietary. The gpl licenses gplv3, gplv2, lgpl, affero gpl all contain. Patent clauses in software licences software patents. Licenses in category a may be included in apache software foundation products.
If the library you link against is lesser gnu public license. Its also arguable whether the licenses mentioned other than apache have an implicit patent grant. You can use it too, but we suggest you first think carefully about whether this license or the ordinary general public license is the better. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses wikipedia. The gpl is the natural license for the projects of the free software foundation. The wordiness creates greater specificity about contributors obligations, which might help in a dispute. The lgpl is similar to the gpl, but is more designed for software libraries where you want to allow nongpl applications to link to your library and utilise it.
The software freedom law center provides practical advice for developers about including permissively licensed source. Creative commons license vs gpl difference and comparison. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. What is foss licensesapache, bsd, gpl, lgpl explained. Gnu lesser gpl and apache software licenses denver. As a reminder, open source software licenses generally. If alicensed software can link to blicensed software, this does not imply that linking in the reverse. Lgpl is used for software libraries, versus the execution files of gpl. Free software license provider mit license, apache license 2019 apache license.
Apache is decent model when you have expertise and money, but do not have significant market share yet. In contrast to lgpl, gpl requires that you provide the code for all changes made to the software. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the free software foundation fsf. Compatible, ie that gpl3 software can link too apl software, is new gpl2 code wasnt. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our 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. Check out some of our other licensing resources or contact the compliance lab at. Difference between gpl and lgpl difference between. The lgpl has a number of additional conditions that need to be met in order to be able to distribute it in a project with another license. However, gplv3 software cannot be included in apache projects. No, you may not distribute the combined daemon using gplv2 and aplv2 licensed material.
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