[wp-hackers] Plugin licenses

[Daniele Muscetta]

Interesting take as well....

So let's say one wants to make a plugin that uses an existing library
to do something.... the existing library ISN'T GPL, but the plugin
should be...
what would one do then?

If you release the plugin as GPL, you would automatically make the
embedded library GPL as well... and the owner of that library will
come and get you... :-)
If you don't release it as GPL, you violate WP's GPL so Automattic
MIGHT come and get you (but they probably don't care...).

I think a lot of people till today simply assumed that they COULD do
something like this, release their plugin under a NON-GPL license...
as long as they would not claim any right to have the plugin
distributed/hosted on WP.org they were OK.
But apparently they are not.... :-(






On Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 3:18 PM, Otto <otto at ottodestruct.com> wrote:
> That's because it's not true at all, actually.
>
> You can't assume licensing. If somebody releases a derivative work of
> WP that is not licensed under the GPL, then they have violated the WP
> license. However, only the copyright holders of WP have any standing
> to do anything about it, nobody else can. It's not like anybody else
> can then simply take the work and assume it's GPL'd.
>
>
> On Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 3:57 AM, Daniele Muscetta <muscetta at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Intersting....
>> This actually goes well beyond what I first thought...
>> I had clearly understood that, in order to be hosted on WP.org,
>> plugins HAD to be GPL. No issue with that.
>>
>> But I didn't understand that all plugins would be considered GPL
>> automatically and anyway, even if hosted and distributed elsewhere...
>> :-|
>>
>> Daniele
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 12:53 PM, Vladimir Prelovac <vprelovac at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> Had a good debate recently about GPL implications and WordPress here:
>>> http://www.prelovac.com/vladimir/interesting-wordpress-gpl-implications
>>>
>>> Cheers
>>> Vlad
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> wp-hackers mailing list
>>> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
>>> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> wp-hackers mailing list
>> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
>> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>>
> _______________________________________________
> wp-hackers mailing list
> wp-hackers at lists.automattic.com
> http://lists.automattic.com/mailman/listinfo/wp-hackers
>