[theme-reviewers] GPL-compatible social media icon sets

[Otto]

Okay, here's the bottom line...

If you're releasing a package under a GPL-compatible license, then all
the elements in that theme need to be released under compatible
licenses as well. This isn't our restriction in particular, it's just
the way copyright law works. If somebody says that you can't do X with
their stuff, and you make a package with that in there and say that
you can do X with the package, then you have violated that person's
license. (Note: it's wholly different if you say that you can do X
except with some specific element. That would be okay as long as
you're abiding by the license of the included works.)

Now, in our directory, we require GPL-compatible themes. That's
"themes", as a whole package. This is best for our users (the people
who download and use the themes) because it gives them the same
freedoms we give them with WordPress itself. They're free to use,
adapt, modify, distribute, etc.

Because we care about the whole theme package, all the individual
elements in said theme must be compatible with this licensing as well.
And it is not in our best interests to help you, a theme author,
knowingly or unknowingly violate somebody else's license.

So regardless of what the author says in a tweet, or an email, or even
in person: if the actual terms of the license as given in the code or
on the website are not GPL-Compatible, then it is not allowed and
anything containing it will not be listed in the repository.

We expect people to respect the WordPress license, which means that we
must respect other people's licensing terms as well. Even if they give
permission, the word of the license as written takes precedence.

Now, you can use these people's works for one-off's, or for themes, or
for your own site, or whatever. That's up to you. We're only concerned
about what is in our theme repository. If you want to use that code
for other purposes not involving WordPress.org, then that's all up to
you, man. :)

-Otto



On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 2:16 PM, Sayontan Sinha <sayontan at gmail.com> wrote:
> As an aside I got dinged for using PrettyPhoto in a plugin - the author had
> said it was GPL compatible in response to a Tweet from me, but he hadn't
> updated his license on his site. A lot of plugins including mine got pulled
> from the repository, and that was when he updated his site.
>
> Moral of the story: Don't rely on a Tweet from the author - unless the site
> with the icon set / script explicitly states the work is GPL-compatible,
> don't use it in your theme / plugin.
>
>
> On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 12:10 PM, Emil Uzelac <emil at themeid.com> wrote:
>>
>> Just saying that you're free to, that's all :)
>>
>> Emil
>>
>> On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 2:08 PM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Not until he updates his license.
>>>
>>> The restriction against redistribution of the software is a
>>> GPL-incompatible restriction. He needs to remove that restriction before the
>>> icon set can be used in WPORG-hosted Themes.
>>>
>>> Chip
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 2:05 PM, Emil Uzelac <emil at themeid.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Went that extra mile about Premium Pixel
>>>> Icons: https://twitter.com/#!/ormanclark/status/197331507596099584 so
>>>> according to this yes, you can use them in Themes!
>>>>
>>>> Thanks,
>>>> Emil
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 10:13 AM, Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 10:01 AM, Chip Bennett <chip at chipbennett.net>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> > Did you add these to the list of GPL-compatible icon  sets in the
>>>>> > Codex?
>>>>>
>>>>> Did now. Didn't know that was there.
>>>>>
>>>>> -Otto
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Sayontan Sinha
> http://mynethome.net | http://mynethome.net/blog
> --
> Beating Australia in Cricket is like killing a celebrity. The death gets
> more coverage than the crime.
>
>
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