The key here is that GPL applies and becomes viral when you *distribute* something.
In the case of lcStackBrowser it is: - Created in Commercial by person A - Given a license that is *NOT* GPL by person A - Distributed (given or sold) under that non-GPL license to person B - That license prohibits any redistribution by person B That specific sequence of steps is ok. Person A is a license holder who assigns a non-GPL license to their work. Person B can use the software within the Community IDE. The Community IDE¹s license only becomes viral when person B wants to distribute their own work. Because (in this case) nothing of person A¹s stack is included in the work of person B that's ok. You could not create something that included any objects or code from person A¹s stack and allow person B to redistribute it from Community. That would cause the GPL to kick in. So a plugin like lcStackBrowser is ok because that does not occur (at least I assume it does not, I haven¹t actually checked). A library or widget created by the same mechanism that is included in person B¹s stack would not be OK. It would have to be GPL because it (or part of it) is included during redistribution by person B. I hope this clarifies things! Kind regards, Kevin Kevin Miller ~ ke...@livecode.com ~ http://www.livecode.com/ LiveCode: Everyone can create apps On 07/01/2015 01:58, "Richard Gaskin" <ambassa...@fourthworld.com> wrote: >Peter Haworth wrote: > > Just to clarify and make sure I'm not about to break an licensing > > rules, my proposed license for lcStackBrowser is not GPL compatible > > since it will specifically prohibit a licensed user from giving its > > code to anyone else or using its code in any of their products > > without my consent, except in the form of a license transfer approved > > by me. They can of course change, add to, or delete the code for > > their own personal use. > > > > However, the stack will be running in Livecode Community Edition > > which is GPL licensed so hopefully an lcStackbrowser user would not > > be in breach of Livecode's Community Edition license. Always > > remembering that lcStackBrowser is strictly a development utility > > and has no part to play in the execution of a stack or a standalone. > >Any plugins made with the Commercial Edition and used within the >Commercial Edition IDE can have any license you like so long as it >doesn't conflict with the terms of the Commercial Edition EULA, which is >pretty liberal. > >I can't speak for Kevin so hopefully he'll chime in here with any >clarifications that may be needed, but my understanding of RunRev's >position on the Community Edition is consistent with the GPL >interpretation used by Drupal, Wordpress, Joomla, and others, in which >all code running in the same engine is governed by the license for that >engine. > >Because LC is dual-license our situation is less clear than with >GPL-only systems like Wordpress, so being neither a lawyer nor Kevin I >would venture only these assumptions and rely on Kevin to clarify: > >If a plugin is made with the Commercial Edition, it can be run within >the Community Edition under GPL or any GPL-compatible license - the FSF >has a list of GPL-compatible licenses here: ><https://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html#GPLCompatibleLicenses> > >If a plugin is created with the Community Edition, it must use the same >license the Community Edition uses, GPL v3. > >This interpretation seems consistent with the LC FAQ: > > Can I use closed source libraries, components or embed LiveCode > in a closed source application? > > You cannot redistribute software that includes closed source > libraries with the open source version of LiveCode. Anything > that is part of your application must be made available under > the same GPL license. ><http://livecode.com/support/ask-a-question/> > >That said, the wording there is a bit unclear (did they mean to write >"...in an open source application"?), and it addresses a standalone >rather than the IDE itself. > >Still, I tend toward a conservative approach for my own work, so >anything I distribute for use in the Commercial Edition IDE as at least >GPL-compatible if not GPL v3 specifically. > >-- > Richard Gaskin > Fourth World Systems > Software Design and Development for the Desktop, Mobile, and the Web > ____________________________________________________________________ > ambassa...@fourthworld.com http://www.FourthWorld.com > >_______________________________________________ >use-livecode mailing list >use-livecode@lists.runrev.com >Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your >subscription preferences: >http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode _______________________________________________ use-livecode mailing list use-livecode@lists.runrev.com Please visit this url to subscribe, unsubscribe and manage your subscription preferences: http://lists.runrev.com/mailman/listinfo/use-livecode
