Originally, lgpl was read out as library general public license. Please feel free to submit pullrequests and bugreports to this github repository. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a freesoftware license published by the free software foundation fsf. This general public license applies to most of the free software foundations software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. This change was motivated to match the evolution of the video industry and to spread the vlc engine as a multiplatform opensource multimedia engine and library. You may redistribute the product as long as you provide the license text or a link to the license text with the software package and you may modify it as long as it stays under this. When we speak of free software, we are referring to. The free software foundation may publish revised andor new versions of the gnu lesser general public license from time to time. Coderay is written by you, i have to claim it to the legal guys. I suspect that because lgpl allows making the source code of the library that you linked to available via a download, it must be ok to use an lgpl licensed lib in your app for microsofts marketplace. Can i use jasper reports opensource library lgpl license. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license, allowing you to use the software document art work without any licensing fees. Please understand that we cannot respond to any questions concerning the content of lgpl 2. May 02, 2020 openpdf is a java library for creating and editing pdf files with a lgpl and mpl open source license.
However, we hope that this translation will help chinese. Search for misplaced files using petscan will not work on categories shared by many templates. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. That doesnt mean you cant also sell it like they sell linux cds but you must also release the source code for free. Files are placed in and removed from this category by placing the template lgpl on or removing it from the files description pages. I recently went through some involved discussions with a client who has traditionally not used opensource software when a library package licensed under the gnu lesser general public license lgpl seemed to be the best choice for our needs. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. See the gnu library general public license for more details.
While you may download our software product under the lgpl free of charge, we also offer our software under a commercial license. Oracle elects to use only the gnu lesser general public license version 2. Gnu lesser general public license version 3 open source. The lgpl is a weaker form of the gpl that is not contagious over library boundaries. Openpdf fork of itext openpdf is a java library for creating and editing pdf files with a lgpl and mpl open source license. Openpdf is the lgplmpl open source successor of itext, and is based on a fork, of a fork, of itext 4 svn tag. Dec 21, 2011 this change of license was an initiative started by some of vlcs main developers and is a move from the current license gplv2 or later to the lgplv2.
Many offsite links have implied everything is now agpl vs lgpl. The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. 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. We license our product under the lesser gnu public license lgpl v3. You should have received a copy of the gnu lesser general public license along with this library. I found many ruby gem are licensed under apache license or mit. Gnu lesser general public license apache openoffice wiki. It was not published by the free software foundation, and does not legally state the distribution terms for software that uses the gnu lgplonly the original english text of the gnu lgpl does that. Lgpl license is incompatible with apache license issue. It is called lesser general public license because it provides less protection to the users freedom. While this is often true, the term free software as used by the free software foundation originators of the gnu project and creators of the gnu general public license is intended to mean free as in freedom rather than in the sense of no cost which is usually referred to as.
This project is a website application used by registered users. By contrast, the gnu general public license is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a. Press release on libvlc relicensing to lgpl videolan. Openpdf is a java library for creating and editing pdf files with a lgpl and mpl open source license. Of course, nothing will prevent you from making your contributions available under any open source licensing terms. The android open source project aosp uses a few open source initiative approved open source licenses for our software. The gnu lesser general public license gnu lgpl was designed as a solution for such situations. It was not published by the free software foundation, and does not legally state the distribution terms for software that uses the gnu lgpl only the original english text of the gnu lgpl does that. The lesser general public license is sometimes described as a weak copyleft license, because code licensed under lgpls terms can be combined with code under nonfree licenses, and is sometimes used in that fashion.
If you use it in your application then you can still have a closed source proprietary licensed application. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. Say i distribute the lgpl source code, everyone is free to use it, compile it and redistribute it. The gnu lesser general public license, also known as the lgpl, is a more permissive version of the gpl the gnu general public license. 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. Can i use an lgpllicenced library in my commercial app. There are multiple variants of the gnu gpl, each with different requirements. 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. Anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications that use the library. Some other free software foundation software is covered by the gnu lesser general public license instead. You can use the software under gpl, redistribute it, and modify it. When distributing derived works, the source code of the work must be made available under the same license. Wikimedia commons has media related to free software under the lgpl. Openpdf is a free java library for creating and editing pdf files with a lgpl and mpl open source license.
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. Most commonly gplv2 or any later version is stated by users of the license, to allow upgrading to gplv3. You should have received a copy of the gnu general public license along with this program. The intention of the gpl general public license is to promote free open source software. Its a software license published by the free software foundation if opensource software is licensed under the lgpl, other software developers may use it for their software development projects even if their projects.
Jungo products uses some gnu lesser general public license lgpl code. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack. Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail. 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 gpl is the most widely used free software license and has a strong copyleft requirement. 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. 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. This is an unofficial translation of the gnu lesser general public license into chinese. But if you modify the lgpl library then you must release your modifications under the lgpl, even though your application can remain closed source. The lgpl and gpl licenses differ with one major exception. Difference between gpl and lgpl compare the difference.
While this is often true, the term free software as used by the free software foundation originators of the gnu project and creators of the gnu general public license is intended to mean free as in freedom rather than in the sense. When a nonfree program links to a library it is called a combined work, or a derivative of the original library. See the gnu lesser general public license for more details. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl2. This license is generally limited to software libraries. You can create a derivative work and sell it for large amounts of money, but you must comply with the gpllgpl.
I suspect that because lgpl allows making the source code of the library that you linked to available via a download, it must be ok to use an lgpllicensed lib in your app for microsofts marketplace. As announced in a previous press release, videolan and vlc developers have completed the process of changing the license of the vlc engine to lgpl. I kept a number of notes during these conversations and felt it was probably something that should. 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. I have read the lgpl license but its so complicated that i couldnt figure out the answer for my questions. See the gnu general public license for more details. It would be great if dual license it under apache license or mit.
It has now been reinterpreted to be read out as the lesser general public license. Gnu lesser general public license, otherwise known as lgpl, is more or less, an amended version of gpl. This allows nonfree programs to gain access or link to the library. If you use a library that is lgpl, and you statically link with that library, your software must be released with a compatible license. 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. Aug 28, 2014 to try to get more developers to adopt open source library usage, the gnu library general public license was created. Media in category free software under the lgpl the following 2 files are in this category, out of 2 total. Gpl is a copyleft license so it requires derivative works to be released under the same license and programs linked with a library released under the gpl must also be released under the gpl. Lesser general public license is sometimes referred to as library gpl or gnu libraries, and some associate it with the idea of.
Originally lgpl was read out as library general public license. The version numbers diverged in 1999 when version 2. You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl 2. The registered users are not charged to use the website. When one hears about free software, the first thing that comes to mind might be no cost. The gnu general public license is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works. Can i use jasper reports opensource library lgpl license with a commercial product. The gpllgpl licenses mean free as in free speech, not free beer. The reasoning behind this is to promote open source. While the project strives to adhere to the preferred license, there are. Open source stack exchange is a question and answer site for people organizing, marketing or licensing open source development projects. The primary difference was that the licensed library could be linked to and distributed with any software, regardless of whether it is commercial proprietary software or free open source software.
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