The apache license has a similar philosophy to the mit, but uses more words. The gpl is by far the best software license for endusers of the code. We have got to know from legal department that we cant use lgpl 2. It allows users of the lgpl software to combine it with other software, whether it is free or proprietary. The free software foundation considers the apache license, version 2. Apache is decent model when you have expertise and money, but do not have significant market share yet. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the free software foundation fsf. The apache license does not place any restrictions on software that links to a plugin or library that is distributed under the apache license. Compatible, ie that gpl3 software can link too apl software, is new gpl2 code wasnt. Tldrlegal software licenses explained in plain english. Lgpl license gnu lgpl lesser general public license covers around 10% of the free software projects and is mainly used by libraries.
However, the linking exception of the lgpl allows linking from an apache 2. They say that richfaces which is licensed under lgpl v2. Otherwise, java projects may contain both apachelicensed code and lgpllicensed code without conflict. 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. 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. The gpl licenses gplv3, gplv2, lgpl, affero gpl all contain some kind of sharealike license.
It allows users to study, run, share, and modify the software. Non software enterprises like banks or states and folk like your dad benefit a lot from gpl license. The difference between the gpl and the lgpl is that with the lgpl, the entire work doesnt have to have the same license. Visit to learn how were building healthy and resilient communities. 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. For a list of licenses not specifically intended for software, see list of free content licenses. Oct 02, 2016 gnu lgpl vs gpl lsoftware icensing short transcript. Various licenses and comments about them gnu project. The gpl licenses gplv3, gplv2, lgpl, affero gpl all contain. If your software is a combinedderivate work withof apache 2 software, you cannot license that software under the gpl2 and therefore cannot license it under the lgpl 2. I cant speak for the apache software license because im not familur with it. Why corporations favors the apache license over the gpllgpl.
The new mariadb client libraries for c and java are distributed under lgpl. 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. 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. 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. Gnu lesser general public license free software license published by the free software foundation fsf.
This is done in a relatively simple fashion by taking the. As a reminder, open source software licenses generally. Creative commons license vs gpl difference and comparison. Gnu gpl, lgpl, apache licence types and differences. Difference between different types of open sources licenses. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. Apache, or gpl to one of our nonprofit clients for their open source project. Each time you redistribute the library or any work based on the library, the recipient automatically receives. Yet, many foss licenses, like the apache license, and all free software.
If a software under gpl or a modified version of a gpled software is released. Of these licenses, the apache license is seen pretty infrequently outside of apache software foundation software. 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. Apache 2 software can therefore be included in gplv3 projects, because the gplv3 license accepts our software into gplv3 works. Top 10 apache license questions answered whitesource. 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. Lgpl is used for software libraries, versus the execution files of gpl. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is. This is a comparison of free and opensource software licenses. Software licensing gpl agpl bsd mit apache eula youtube. Gnu lesser gpl and apache software licenses denver business. I can include mitlicensed code in a gpllicensed product, but can i include gpllicensed code in a mitlicensed product.
Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack. The comparison only covers software licenses with a linked article for details, approved by at least one expert group at the fsf, the osi, the debian project or the fedora project. We welcome enquiries from maintainers considering particular licenses, but we. This allows the code to be used in otherwise proprietary software. Gnu lesser general public license version 3 open source. Since you have access to the codes through open source software, you are permitted to make changes, improve it, and create your own twist. So what you do is create a library to link to the lgpl lib as just a wrapper, and release the wrapper as lgpl. Heres the second post in our open source software license faq series. Do i need to duallicense it under apache to fix this. Gnu lgpl vs gpl lsoftware icensing short transcript. 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. The apache license is an open source software license released by the apache software foundation asf. The software freedom law center provides practical advice for developers about including permissively licensed source. Asf 3rd party license policy apache software foundation.
It also contains a patent license and retaliation clause which is designed to prevent patents including patent trolls from encumbering the software project. Some other free software foundation software is covered by the gnu library general public license instead. Asf is the apache software foundation and not a license. The writers of the license maintain it is free software, but the free software foundation says it is not free because it infringes the socalled zero freedom of the gpl, that is, the freedom to use the software for any purpose. Open source licenses explained in this detailed guide. The following licenses are sorted by the number of conditions, from most gnu agplv3 to none unlicense. If you are releasing software under a gpl license, it is also necessary to. 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. Gnu lesser gpl and apache software licenses denver.
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. 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. Most of these opinions were formed in discussions on the debianlegal mailing list in response to questions from potential package maintainers or licensors. What is foss licensesapache, bsd, gpl, lgpl explained techcode. The apache license, on the other hand, is favored by the big. If this is what you want to do, use the gnu library general public license instead of this license. The apache license, on the other hand, is favored by the big corporations for their open source projects. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses. This is to protect the owner of the work against implicit guarantees or user assumptions. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses. 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. Who could say the terrible things that would happen if we dont keep the peasants well whipped and in their place. The incompatibility of apache 2 and gpl2 is well documented.
Nov 08, 2015 linus torvalds says gpl v3 violates everything that gplv2 stood for duration. Among the two gpl is the basis of open source software for programmers. 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. Do i need to dual license it under apache to fix this. In contrast to lgpl, gpl requires that you provide the code for all changes made to the software. We generally recommend the latest version of the lgpl, for special circumstances only. Software licenses in plain english lookup popular software licenses summarized ataglance. The writers of the license maintain it is free software, but the free software foundation says it is not free because it infringes the socalled zero freedom of the gpl, that is, the. Here is a list of the components and their licenses. To understand the difference between gpl and lgpl you have to understand the basic idea of open source software. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. Jun 25, 2019 the difference between the gpl and the lgpl is that with the lgpl, the entire work doesnt have to have the same license. The same license that was used for the older version of the mysql client library. Among other things, were often asking joe about software licensing issues.
Difference between gpl and lgpl difference between. Gpl general public license is a free license software that is popularly used across the world. See how to choose a license for your own work for general recommendations about choosing a license for your work the gnu project has two principal licenses to use for libraries. Comparison of free and opensource software licenses wikipedia. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundations software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. The gnu project has two principal licenses to use for libraries. Linus torvalds says gpl v3 violates everything that gplv2 stood for duration. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. The gnu general public license gnu gpl or simply gpl is a widely used free software license, origin. We recommend that programs that use qt also acknowledge these contributions, and quote these license statements in an appendix to the. Sluc is a software license published in spain in december 2006 to allow all but military use.
You can then link to this wrapper your wrapper in nonlgpl software, as long as your wrapper is avaliable as lgpl. Roshen is a partner at exygy with deep experience in leadership, change management, product, and digital innovation. The gnu lgpl is very popular among independent developers and companies which mainly deal with open source software. Creative commons licenses are several licenses released on december 16, 2002 by creative commons, a u.
If the library you link against is lesser gnu public license. Lgpl license is incompatible with apache license issue. The gnu general public license is a free software license, created by the free software foundationfsf. Nonsoftware enterprises like banks or states and folk like your dad benefit a lot from gpl license. The wordiness creates greater specificity about contributors obligations, which might help in a dispute. 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. 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. May 31, 2012 the licenses seen most often are the following. For the purposes of being included in an apache software foundation product, the following licenses are considered to be similar in terms to the apache license 2. Its also arguable whether the licenses mentioned other than apache have an implicit patent grant.
Opensource licenses may allow you to redistribute the software or derived works. Weve compiled a list of your top 10 questions about the gpl license in the last post. What is foss licensesapache, bsd, gpl, lgpl explained. Let us examine why these corporations stay away from gpl and favor the apache license. It depends on what you intend to do with the software that you produce. The differences between the gpl, lgpl and the bsd fosswire. 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. Gpl is basically the legal terminology that makes open source software what it is. 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. This page presents the opinion of some debianlegal contributors on how certain licenses follow the debian free software guidelines dfsg. Its a restrictive and weakcopyleft license, similar in many ways to lgpl. If you modify the software, you still have to give back the source code, but you are allowed to link it with proprietary.
Licenses in category x may not be included in apache software foundation products. 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. Heres the part of the lgpl that poses the restriction. Gpl licensed code cant be used for paid and proprietary 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 components. Yes, giving users even a smidgen of freedom like the gpl does is harmful. If alicensed software can link to blicensed software, this does not imply that linking in the reverse.
It is also a copyleft license and modified versions must be released under the same license. The gnulgpl is very popular among independent developers and companies which mainly deals with open source software. The fsf claims that gpl v2 is incompatible with apache 2. 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. Various licenses and comments about them gnu project free. This license was originally written by richard stallman from the free software foundation for the gnu project. The licenses are incompatible in one direction only, and it is a result of asfs licensing. The apache license was created by the apache software foundation asf as. You can freely use, modify, distribute and sell a software licensed under the apache license without worrying about the use of software.
Jan 21, 20 apache is decent model when you have expertise and money, but do not have significant market share yet. See how to choose a license for your own work for general recommendations about choosing a license for your work. The gpl protects the main articles of software freedom are. You can therefore only license code under the lgpl 2. The fsf suggests the quite permissive apache license for that case described later in that article. The licenses are incompatible in one direction only, and it is a result of asfs licensing philosophy and the gplv3 authors interpretation of law.
Apr 07, 2017 difference between different types of open sources licenses. The apache license does not place any restrictions on software that links to a plugin or library that is distributed under the apache license 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. 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. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. Why you shouldnt use the lesser gpl for your next library. However, gplv3 software cannot be included in apache projects.
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