[Xapian-discuss] license question

Olly Betts olly at survex.com
Sun Jan 15 05:32:26 GMT 2006


On Sat, Jan 14, 2006 at 06:25:19AM -0500, Jim Lynch wrote:
> First, I'm not a lawyer.  Gotta get that out in the open.

And neither am I!

> If all you are going to do is use a GPL licensed product and not try to 
> resell or redistribute it, then you are permitted to do so.  You can 
> even modify it for your own use as long you don't distribute the 
> modified product.

This is also essentially my understanding, but presumably the original
poster is wanting to distribute the website framework.

> Once you start selling it or including it in a 
> package you redistribute, you'll have to identify the parts that are 
> licensed under the GPL to your customers and offer the source of the 
> GPLed components to them.

I believe this isn't quite accurate, or is at least is open to
misinterpretation.

The end of clause 2 of the licence states:

    In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the
    Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a
    volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other
    work under the scope of this License. 

This paragraph makes explicit that someone like RedHat can include
the Xapian library along with other packages under different and
possibly incompatible licences on CDs they sell, *provided that the
incompatibly licensed software doesn't use Xapian*.  Similarly
a magazine publisher can put Xapian and a demo for a new game
on a cover CD.

If your framework is directly linked to the Xapian library, then
clearly you're going to have to license it under the GPL if you want to
distribute it:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#IfLibraryIsGPL

But often the relationship between two pieces of software is more
complicated than these two clear cut cases.  For example, plug-in
interfaces, etc.  If this is the case, your best bet for sound advice is
probably to read the applicable sections of the FSF's GPL FAQ list:

http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html

Cheers,
    Olly



More information about the Xapian-discuss mailing list