[theme-reviewers] GPL and limiting usage

[Ünsal Korkmaz]

@Otto, All i understand from your perspective:
"You are moron if you sell a product with 1 time fee, why dont you make it
on monthly fee?"
Label it as GPL, put all valuable functionality in plugin with paywall.

You just changed wordpress commerical GPL theme market. I hope you realize
it.


On Sat, Sep 21, 2013 at 12:31 AM, Srikanth Koneru <tskk79 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Actually disabling stuff is what got everyone's goat :)
> Some say its not gpl, is it really not gpl? only a lawyer can tell, kick
> this issue to a WP foundation lawyer and let them decide.
> if it is gpl then all's well and we all will start selling subscriptions
> happily.
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 21, 2013 at 2:52 AM, Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> wrote:
>
>> On Fri, Sep 20, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Ünsal Korkmaz <unsalkorkmaz at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> > And yes, we cant use this theme/plugin/whatever in multisite if not
>> > developer licensed: http://www.pagelines.com/pricing/
>>
>> Okay, so let's just boil this objection down here, to the root of the
>> problem.
>>
>> From looking through the latest theme code, it appears that they've
>> moved all the paid functionality out into something called
>> "DMSPluginPro".
>>
>> So, my first view here is that we have a free theme with support for a
>> paid plugin. Not that unusual. I've seen special support for, say,
>> GravityForms before.
>>
>> Now, that paid plugin comes from them as part of a subscription
>> service. They offer different models for different levels of users. On
>> the whole, this is not particularly objectionable either. Users with
>> more websites will need more support. Multisite is more complex.
>> Things like that.
>>
>> The plugin also checks that the subscription is an active one. It's
>> tied to the subscription via code. Note that it doesn't necessarily
>> need to be tied to said subscription, but it is, in the plugin code.
>> The idea being that it's a perk with the subscription system. This
>> last bit is the big objection some people are disliking. And honestly,
>> GPL doesn't enter into it. Whether the plugin is GPL or not doesn't
>> really matter here.
>>
>> The big question is this: Should we reject a theme because the theme
>> author also sells an add-on plugin for it that has a monthly fee
>> attached to it?
>>
>> Even if you want to yell "GPL" from the heavens, that's just an
>> excuse, in my view. Are we really going to add this tight of a
>> restriction on every subscription system made by every theme author?
>> That seems like insanity to me. They want to sell an ongoing service.
>> Presumably they provide support with this service. Presumably they
>> have forums and other things to justify this service. The pro-code
>> editor thing doesn't strike as something worth $8 a month,
>> realistically, so I'm guessing that really they're selling their
>> support here.
>>
>> As we all know, the selling support model is the only one that works
>> for theme shops in the long run. You cannot provide
>> free-lifetime-support. That would be silly. So a subscription system
>> is perfectly justifiable in-and-of itself.
>>
>> If selling support services on a monthly basis was all it was, would
>> we even be having this debate on the list? Now, suddenly, they throw
>> in a plugin with some deactivation code in it and everybody loses
>> their shit?
>>
>> The plugin doesn't bother me. The subscription doesn't bother me.
>> They're selling support like every other theme shop out there. Simple
>> as that.
>>
>> -Otto
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>
>
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