License
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@d-healey Is it necessary to disclose that Plugin A is under the GNU GPL license. If so, is it specified where we need to disclose that information?
With regards to source code under GNU GPL:
"In order for freedoms 1 and 3 (the freedom to make changes and the freedom to publish the changed versions) to be meaningful, you need to have access to the source code of the program. Therefore, accessibility of source code is a necessary condition for free software. Obfuscated “source code” is not real source code and does not count as source code."
I do not see anywhere that specifies where source code must be offered and in what capacity. Therefore, when a customer downloads the product, it is within the parameters of the GNU GPL license to attach the source code and install it in a specific location on their computer where they can access it as they see fit. Is this correct?
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I think you should read the license and accompanying FAQ
Is it necessary to disclose that Plugin A is under the GNU GPL license. If so, is it specified where we need to disclose that information?
See the section headed How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs and Section 0 which says
An interactive user interface displays “Appropriate Legal Notices” to the extent that it includes a convenient and prominently visible feature that (1) displays an appropriate copyright notice, and (2) tells the user that there is no warranty for the work (except to the extent that warranties are provided), that licensees may convey the work under this License, and how to view a copy of this License. If the interface presents a list of user commands or options, such as a menu, a prominent item in the list meets this criterion.
The usual place to display licenses is in the installer. The user needs to be made aware of their rights and agree to the license before they install the software. You should also add a license doc, often called COPYING to the source code root folder. You also need to include a license header at the top of every source code file.
I do not see anywhere that specifies where source code must be offered and in what capacity.
See section 6. Conveying Non-Source Forms.
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You also need to include a license header at the top of every source code file.
I'm unclear about what this means.
What is a license header?
Do I need to edit each file in the source code to contain one, or do I need to add one to each folder in the source code? -
You also need to include a license header at the top of every source code file.
I'm unclear about what this means.
What is a license header?
Do I need to edit each file in the source code to contain one, or do I need to add one to each folder in the source code?its a piece of text (a comment) asserting that the code is open source and which open source license it uses and what the copyrights are.
I suggest you go to one of the open source forums and ask these questions there, though David IS an expert on this stuff..
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@Lindon Good point. Do you have an open source forum that you can recommend?
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@TNTHM maybe start with opensopurce.org and go from there?
HISE Development for hire.
www.channelrobot.com -
@Lindon Thank you. I appreciate it.
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@Lindon would help if I spelt it correctly...
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@TNTHM
Yes, you add the header at the top of every non-trivial source file. Non-trivial generally means the code in the file does something, if it's just pulling in other files or just declaring variables then you don't really need to put a notice there, but you can if you want. If you don't add license notices then the files fall under standard copyright which means users can't do anything with them and this violates the GNU GPL. It's not enough to include a generic license document because another developer may only use one or two of your source files in their project and then the license will become separate from the source code.If you take a look at the HISE source code, or any of the code in my repos you'll see headers.
And again if you take a look at the license and FAQ this is all explained. For info about license headers check the section titled "How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs".
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@d-healey I have been looking at headers for the files in hise and I understand now what you mean. I notice that in the header it says:
Commercial licenses for using HISE in an closed source project are available on request. Please visit the project's website to get more information about commercial licensing:
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HISE is based on the JUCE library,
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which must be separately licensed for closed source applications:
Are we allowed to mention the same thing with respect to our software built in hise? Can we have a clause in the header that says something to the tune of:
Commercial licenses for using [plugin name] in a closed source project are available. Email us for more information. You will also need a commercial license from Hise. You will also need a commercial license from Juce.
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@TNTHM If it's your code, you can license it how you like.
