• Registered: 2004-09-25
  • Posts: 3

Topic: GNU License

Hello,

This is our first time using a 3rd party for a solution and I wanted to make sure we did everything legal.  Basically we are planning on providing some enhancements while using some code of a forum like PunBB.  I am aware from reading that we cannot actually sell the end product and must provide the GNU license and comment the code but can sell our service for installing and modifying the code.  Is this correct?  Does providing the source code and GNU license cover our obligation here for making our alterations?

Further, what is the respectable, legal thing to do with credits?  Should we post the PunBB credits as well as ours for our contributions OR is that not a good thing to do as it will involve PunBB in software they did not alter?

Obviously I don't want to step on any toes or make any errors that could hinder our future involvement with PunBB so any advice is appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: GNU License

Here's the deal:

You can use the PunBB source code in pretty much any way you want as long as any product you release that uses part of PunBB is released under the same license (or a GPL compatible license). You can even charge for it if you like, but it doesn't make much sense to do so since the product will be open-sourced, so anyone can just take it, rename it and release it for free.

As far as credits are concerned, I'm the wrong person to ask. I would of course appreciate being credited for my work, but I don't know the proper way to do it. I've based certain parts of the PunBB source code on phpBB and I've credited them by clearly marking in the source what parts that applies to.

Might I ask what kind of product you are planning?

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

Rickard's Website

  • From: Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Registered: 2002-05-27
  • Posts: 222

Re: GNU License

As I read the GPL there is no problem charging for software based on or containing GPL'ed code. The problem is selling it to more than one customer, as the first customer has the right to distribute the product, thus possibly making it harder to sell to other customers.
A way of getting around this is not to sell the product, but providing the hosted website as a service instead. That way the product is not distibuted and there is no requirement to distribute the source.
An alternative route is asking Rickard, the copyright holder, to sell you a commertial license of PunBB, thus avoiding the whole GPL issue. But I have no idea how much such a license would cost.

  • From: Gothenburg, Sweden
  • Registered: 2002-07-03
  • Posts: 946

Re: GNU License

Rickard wrote:

You can use the PunBB source code in pretty much any way you want as long as any product you release that uses part of PunBB is released under the same license (or a GPL compatible license). You can even charge for it if you like, but it doesn't make much sense to do so since the product will be open-sourced, so anyone can just take it, rename it and release it for free.

Then what happens if the produkt is not intended to be released in any way? If I for example use your database-klass for a project at work, where the project is a page being used only internally on the company?

CodeDuck wrote:

An alternative route is asking Rickard, the copyright holder, to sell you a commertial license of PunBB, thus avoiding the whole GPL issue. But I have no idea how much such a license would cost.

I know Rickard has talked about this idea before. Maybe a large donation can come in handy in some cases ;P

  • From: 127.0.0.1
  • Registered: 2001-11-02
  • Posts: 9,167

Re: GNU License

Chacmool wrote:

Then what happens if the produkt is not intended to be released in any way? If I for example use your database-klass for a project at work, where the project is a page being used only internally on the company?

Aske answered that question. The GPL only applies when the product is released.

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

Rickard's Website