You mention that it is licensed under the lgpl, with reference to the full license. You only have to contribute back if you add to that library. What are the risks of launching a free saas without incorporatingsole prop. It is a software license published by the free software foundation. Mpl mozilla public license is a little more lenient than lgpl as it only covers the files to which the license is applied. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files the software, 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, and to permit. Lgpl lesser gnu public license, as a larger work, ok. This means that there is no problem with using l gpl libraries in a closedsource saas project. That mobile app needs some sort of license granting agreement, like the enduser license agreement. Gnu librarylesser general public license lgpl the above copyleft license didnt work for many software libraries because no one who was releasing any type of software commercially or under an alternative license would use them, which was the whole purpose of releasing the libraries. All software produced by the apache software foundation or any of its projects or subjects is licensed according to the terms of the documents listed below. Among the two gpl is the basis of open source software for programmers.
In the agpl license, saas is considered distribution and requires. The gnu affero general public license version 3 agplv3 is a copyleft license nearly identical to the gplv3. Software as a service saas license agreement sample. 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. Tim oreilly addresses this while making yet another argument for. 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. Just as an example, extjs is under gpl, but you must not base your saas on it, since the code gets transferred to the visitor and then run there, requiring you to distribute your code for free under the. Using full gpl libraries in software as a service saas.
Can gpl licenced software be used in corporate environments. In a software licensing model, the software company offers a physical piece of software via cdrom or electronic download from a website to be. We also advise technology clients on big data issues that arise in outsourcing, joint venture and other transactional matters. If a library is released under the gpl not the lgpl, does that mean that any software which uses it has to be under the gpl or a gplcompatible license. What constitutes distributing for lgpl v3 software engineering. Using full gpl libraries in software as a service saas models. Gpl requires you to release the source code of your application if you choose to use and distribute the gpl licensed open source software with your application. When the copyleft agpl was first published, many leaders in the open source community had something to say about the issue of a supposed loophole in the gpl open source license that allowed saas companies to integrate gpl open source libraries without sharing their code. 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. You can therefore only license code under the lgpl2. Track in fossa gnu lesser general public license v2. Sep 12, 2011 most it contract drafters know the difference between a software license agreement and a technology services contract. Also if you know other saas services made on top of odoo community edition i would like to know.
Dont use license agreements for software as a service tech. While an eula isnt necessary for a saas app without a mobile or desktop app, most saas apps do have at least a mobile app. Gpl and lgpl open source licensing restrictions stack. We frequently draft and negotiate data license agreements, software asaservice saas agreements, website terms and other services agreements in which data is the core subject of the license. Aug 28, 2014 gnu librarylesser general public license lgpl the above copyleft license didnt work for many software libraries because no one who was releasing any type of software commercially or under an alternative license would use them, which was the whole purpose of releasing the libraries. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web site.
Software licensed with any gnu license can be used and modified everywhere, without any restrictions in private and even in corporate environments. The gnu lesser general public license lgpl is a free software license published by the free software foundation fsf. You dont receive the software under your own license, but rather you give the software under some license so everyone else can have it. First, there are a number of licenses, most notably the agpl, that. When it comes to saas or application service providers asp, the gpl requires that only the parties that are actually distributing their modified. The gnu affero general public license is a modified version of the. Even if you provide something as saas over the internet, some parts of your software javascript actually. However be aware that if you or the company ever make changes to the software and want to distribute it, it must be distributed with full source code, on the same license terms as the original software. For more information about how to release your own software under this license, please see our page of instructions. We frequently draft and negotiate data license agreements, softwareasaservice saas agreements, website terms and other services agreements in which data is the core subject of the license. Lgpl was read out as library general public license. At a regular closedsource software company, you cant include any software in your products that you get from the web which carries the gpl gnu public license, because this license requires all derived works to also use the gpl and be open source. Mar, 2017 a traditional software license described above does not apply to software asaservice saas contracts because the customer does not download or install copies of the software.
The above post is the conclusion of an essay i had to write for my university, titled. The agplv3s section states an additional condition not present in gplv2 or gplv3. The main difference between gpl and lgpl is that gpl provides more. The businessmens guide to open source licenses software.
The most widespread use of gpl is in reference to the gnu gpl, which is commonly abbreviated simply as gpl when it is understood that the term refers. Lgpl allows you to use and distribute the open source software with your application without releasing the source code for your application. However, saas companies still need to be concerned about software licensing. In contrast to lgpl, gpl requires that you provide the code for all changes made to the software. This means that there is no problem with using lgpl libraries in a closedsource saas project.
May 12, 2015 software as a service and gnu gpl licensing is not complex, the motto of the license is for disallowing the softwares to control the users and modify, distribute, develop, use the softwares with full freedom along with the other points written in the license. Anything statically linked to the library can only be redistributed under lgpl, but applications that use the library. Both licenses have the same copyleft scope, but materially differ in one important way. You may have already heard of this open source license, but if not, here are a few things every saas company needs to know about the afferro gpl or agpl at least from the perspective of an open source attorney.
Gplv3 and software as a service free software foundation working together for free software skip to content, sitemap or skip to search. Is hosting a software as a saas offering considered as distribution under gpl. Oracle elects to use only the gnu lesser general public license version 2. That you distribute the code, and any changes to it, under the terms of the lgpl. Short for general public license, the license that accompanies some open source software that details how the software and its accompany source code can be freely copied, distributed and modified. Sony mobile offers to provide source code of software licensed under the gpl or lgpl or some other open. Difference between gpl and lgpl compare the difference. In a license, the customer gets rights to copy and use software, while in a services contract, the customer gets a service, like tech support or it consulting. It allows you to call a library covered by lgpl without having to open source your code.
You can run a service using your own code and optionally, permissivelylicensed libraries from other people while also offering a copy of the source code to anyone who wants it. However, under one strong copyleft license, the affero general public license agpl, the reciprocity or sharealike requirements are triggered not only if the software is distributed to others, but also if the software is provided on a hosted i. The saas developers ubershort guide to using open source projects. Some experts said it wasnt really needed, while others wondered whether it served the commercial giants of software over the open source community and smaller, younger businesses.
Hi guys, i would like to know if odoos lgpl v3 license gives me the permission to develop a product on top of odoo community edition and to be sold as saas or as independent product. Also if you know other saas services made on top of odoo community edition i would like to know about. Open source came before, if not provided a platform for, software as a service. The gnu affero general public license3 agpl is a special license in the family of open source licenses, creating risks and opportunities that do not exist with most other open source licenses. Even if you provide something as saas over the internet, some parts of your software javascript actually is distributed to your costumers. I recently answered a linkedin question about whether providing software as a service saas is considered a distribution under the opensource gnu general public license. The lgpl is primarily used for software libraries, although it is also used by some standalone applications. It allows you to call a library covered by lgpl without having. The difference between the gpl and the lgpl is that with the lgpl, the entire work doesnt have to have the same license. If your software is a combinedderivate work withof apache2 software, you cannot license that software under the gpl2 and therefore cannot license it under the lgpl2. Mar 05, 2010 i recently answered a linkedin question about whether providing software as a service saas is considered a distribution under the opensource gnu general public license. 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.
You may copy, distribute and modify the software provided that you state modifications and license them under lgpl2. Today, distribution can be a thornier question for businesses that deploy software through the internet, cloud, or a saas model. 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. Saas use of opensource software is not distribution who. The affero general public license affero gpl and informally affero license is a free software license. Open source licenses have a big loophole for the most common method of software distribution today. The saas developers ubershort guide to using open source. Jul 24, 2018 the gpl saas loophole made headlines around the time the agpl was released. What is the difference between gpl, agpl and lgpl licenses.
Jul 12, 2007 linux magazines article the gpl has no networked future recognizes a point that ive been making for years. How can i legally use lgpl javascript in a commercial web. Frequently asked questions about the gnu licenses gnu project. In software contracts, perhaps the single most common issue that gets confused is the difference between a software license and a software asaservice agreement. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files the software, to deal in the software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and or sell copies of the software, and to permit. It is a fork of itext version 4, more specifically itext svn tag 4. Saas use of opensource software is not distribution who gnu.
The saas loophole in gpl open source licenses whitesource. Can i use an lgpllicenced library in my commercial app. Ive checked that there are similar products like \\this one management software for automobile after sales. As far as the regular gpl and lgpl are concerned, providing access to use your software over a network like in saas is not considered distribution. Since gpl requires providing access to source code, and agplv3 section is an additional condition specifically added to plug the loophole in saas like software, does not it imply that agplv3 also requires providing source code access, irrespective of whether it is modified or not. The question and answer no longer available on linkedin are reproduced, in slightly edited form, below. Software as a service and gnu gpl licensing is not complex, the motto of the license is for disallowing the softwares to control the users and modify, distribute, develop, use the softwares with full freedom along with the other points written in the license. As far as the regular gpl and lgpl are concerned, providing access to. 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.
In software contracts, perhaps the single most common issue that gets confused is the difference between a software license and a softwareasaservice agreement. The mariadb client library included with the mariadb server is also gpl version 2, but has a floss exception that allows you to combine it with most other open source software, without conflicting. See, for example, my 1999 debate with richard stallman. The incompatibility of apache2 and gpl2 is well documented.
Gplv3 and software as a service by brett smith contributions published on mar 29, 2007 09. Also, theres nothing preventing you from selling an open source app on the microsoft app marketplace. Open source licensing for software as a service ross. But software as a service saas seems to throw a wrench into the. Always consult your own lawyer before betting the company on somebody elses licensing terms this applies both. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.
Gplv3 and software as a service free software foundation. Lgpl lesser gnu public license is more lenient than gpl. Heres how spotify handles addressing both its subscription service and its mobile app. The restrictions involved with gpl are only there to protect the rights of the users. The lgpl license allows an application that references the binaries to remain closedsource. Essentially it said, this license doesnt cover saas solutions. Revised versions of the gnu lesser general public license. Agreement sample assumes no liability for the content of this document or for any action or inaction taken as a result of it.
The fsf is a charity with a worldwide mission to advance software freedom. The lgpl license allows you to distribute these mariadb client libraries freely with any application. Software as a service saas license agreement sample this document is intended for informational and self educational purposes, to illustrate the diversity of written agreements. Cloud computing saas licenses is agpl the solution. Ive checked that there are similar products like \this one management software for automobile after sales. Does commercial use of ghostscript as saas needs a licence. What you have to watch out for are libraries that have an agpl affero gpl licence. Mar 29, 2007 gplv3 and software as a service by brett smith contributions published on mar 29, 2007 09. Well, first of all, you need a license to use any software except one, which is public domain in any way as for ghostscript at the moment artifex offers it under. Im not a lawyer and this article should not be considered legal advice. This license is a set of additional permissions added to version 3 of the gnu general public license. You can therefore only license code under the lgpl 2. Gnu public license faq mozilla public license faq apache license faq disclaimer.
Saas vs local distribution and gpl implications licensing. The customer remotely logs into the vendors system to access and use the software, usually through the internet. If your software is a combinedderivate work withof apache2 software, you cannot license that software under the gpl2 and therefore cannot license it under the lgpl 2. Differences between gpl and lgpl when using licensed software. Linux magazines article the gpl has no networked future recognizes a point that ive been making for years.
The gnu lesser general public license gnu lgpl was designed as a solution for such situations. The only major threat to open source software license models like the gpl is the spread of cloud computing and software as a service saas business models. Software licensed with any gnu license can be used and even modified everywhere, including in a corporate environment, without any restrictions. Under this license, it makes sure that the software is open to all users, making them free to amend, edit, or modify open source software, obtain source code and redistribute them. Lesser general public license is sometimes referred to as library gpl or gnu libraries, and some associate it with the idea of.
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