No subject


Sun Feb 20 18:20:38 UTC 2011


If I distribute GPL'd software for a fee, am I required to also make it
available to the public without a charge?

No. However, if someone pays your fee and gets a copy, the GPL gives them
the freedom to release it to the public, with or without a fee. For example=
,
someone could pay your fee, and then put her copy on a web site for the
general public.

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPub=
lic

Regards,
Christian, B=FCro 2



2011/3/13 Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net>

> You need to re-read the actual text of the GPL. You grossly misunderstand
> the license requirements.
>
> Those who distribute under GPL are under no requirement whatsoever to
> release their code "to the public", or "for free". Rather, they are
> required
> to provide, to those to whom they distribute their work, the cleartext
> source for that work.
>
> They are under no obligation to distribute their work to any arbitrary
> person (i.e. the "public"); they are allowed - explicitly under the terms
> of
> the GPL - to distribute their code only to those who purchase that code.
> And
> if they sell their code, they are only obligated to provide the source co=
de
> to those who purchase their code.
>
> Please see the past three years (if not longer) of WP-Hackers archives, f=
or
> the ad nauseum repetition of this argument.
>
> Chip
>
> On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 8:28 AM, Piyush Mishra <me at piyushmishra.com>
> wrote:
>
> > On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 6:21 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > On Sun, Mar 13, 2011 at 5:56 AM, Piyush Mishra <me at piyushmishra.com>
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > I don't think you got the whole idea as I was trying to put it. The
> > > source
> > > > code remains open source and ready to contribute for people who
> already
> > > do
> > > > that and it will always be. Why would WordPress close its source
> > anyway?
> > > > Its about those people who write plugins and go all heights to make
> it
> > > paid
> > > > only. They will have to pay WordPress community back in cash.
> > > >
> > > > A lot of us pay back to the community in one way or the other.
> > > > But there are those who extend WordPress and sell their plugins.
> > > > Check this out:-
> > > > http://www.gravityforms.com/terms-and-conditions/
> > > > try getting the latest version of gforms and this one
> > > > http://www.gravityhelp.com/forums/topic/is-it-gpl (yes its true, cs=
s
> > > files
> > > > aren't covered).
> > > > My point is as WordPress users get helpless in such situations. we
> > should
> > > > keep dual license to take care of that or take some action
> > > > (copyright infringement / demand giving php files out for free)
> > > >
> > > > The GPL does not preclude the selling of GPL-licensed code; in fact=
,
> it
> > > explicitly permits it. You have no legal (or moral) right to "demand"
> > that
> > > they give their PHP files away for free.
> > >
> > > There is absolutely nothing whatsoever wrong with what the GravityFor=
ms
> > > folks are doing.
> > >
> > >
> > Nope there is. as plugins donot interact only as a fork process to
> > WordPress, GPL sees it as a part of the software and thus, they are
> legally
> > bound to release their source code in public making it equally easy to
> > obtain as they have made the paid version (stripped off of the css n
> > images)
> >
> >
> >
> > > Chip
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > wp-hackers mailing list
> > > wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
> > > http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Regards
> > Piyush Mishra
> > http://www.piyushmishra.com/
> > Life's Short, Live it to the maximum
> > _______________________________________________
> > wp-hackers mailing list
> > wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
> > http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
> >
> _______________________________________________
> wp-hackers mailing list
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>


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