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Questions tagged [gpl]

The GNU's General Public License, a commonly-used free software license. The GPL has various versions, v1-v3, so use this tag only for questions talking about overarching issues of the licenses or shared characteristics. For example, for a question about a unique section on version 3, use the [gpl-3] tag.

The GPL, or General Public License is a basic software license offered by GNU, which is sponsored by the Free Software Foundation. There are currently three major versions of the license: 1, 2, and 3.

GNU Licenses:

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I lost the source code for programs I released as GPL. What to do?

I wrote a software utility I released freely as GPL on a separate machine some ten years ago. But the machine I wrote it on is lost, and I can't find the source code on any of my backups. I am still searching for it. Two people have contacted me…
QuantumDot
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How does GPL apply to neural network models?

Suppose you are working on a mobile application. Because the application contains GPL licensed code, the mobile application will be licensed under GPL too. The mobile application also uses a pretrained neural network model. (For simplicity, assume…
emettomet
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Can I use my client's GPL software?

I have a client who sent me his source code for me to review. It was a non-paying job. His source code was clearly a heavy modification from a popular GPL-licensed software which I part-authored. I can see the original code (including GPL license…
SmallChess
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Do defunct companies have to comply with requests for GPL code?

I have an embedded Linux device. The company that developed and produced this device is now defunct, having been sold to Flex Ltd. When this acquisition occurred, it seems that the employees signed non-disclosure agreements about every aspect of…
Billy
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Are pirated GPL-derived "premium themes" legal?

A fellow Drupal developer is suggesting that we use themes from a collection of "Premium" paid Drupal themes downloaded from a torrent site on a shared project. It appears that most or all of these themes are derived from GPL-licensed Drupal themes…
dotancohen
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Should I publish everything running on Linux under GPL?

According to the official GPL 2 FAQ, I have to use GPL for any project using a library under GPL (even if I don't directly use its sources), because my program links to the library. But when I run an executable, I am using an operating system…
Kolay.Ne
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GPL compliance when license was not provided? (You unknowingly derived from code that was in breach of GPL)

Let's say Person A creates some code and licenses it under a GPL license. If someone (we'll call them Person B) then creates code which derives from Person A's code, but fails to obey the terms of the license and mark their modified code in a GPL…
Charybdizs
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With GPL, what does "source code" mean for non-software?

GPL is a license designed primarily for software, but it can be used for non-software. The license text has many mentions of "source code", which is ambiguous for non-software. GNU/FSF claim that GPL can be used for non-software, "as long as it is…
congusbongus
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Can I demand the source of a closed source application if I discover it links with a GPL library?

Let's say I see a popular closed source application (distributed for free in binary form) links dynamically with a library that has a GPL license (according to the library's website). Can I write to the company and demand the source code to their…
Ken - Enough about Monica
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GPL code private and stolen

I have a question regarding code which was originally under GPL. The code was used and was built upon and used as a service. The code was kept private, which seems okay under GPL. However, if one of the developers was to steal the code or it was…
Ryan1986
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Can support of GPL software legally be done in such a way as to practically force you to abandon your GPL rights?

I was looking to purchase a license to software from the author. The software is GPL licensed (I assume because its a Wordpress plugin - and thus compelled to be GPL). My interest in purchasing the software from the author rather then an…
davidgo
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Is GNU's stance on what constitutes a 'single combined program' universally accepted?

GNU's website has a FAQ section where they say what constitutes and what doesn't constitute a 'single combined program'. My current understanding is that, if you use GPL code in a 'single combined program', your whole 'single combined program' MUST…
Nicolas Dumitru
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What's to prevent a user from reverse engineering a GPL program?

I saw this question Does requiring users to accept the GPL before using GPL-licensed software violate the GPL? That states that the GPL license does not apply any restrictions on the user. If that is the case what is there to stop a user from…
John Doe
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GNU GPL v3 - If the author of a GPL software library makes changes under paid contract to a company, who "owns" the changes?

So, for example, assume an independent software developer has created a library and has licensed it under GPL v3. The developer is then contracted by a company to develop a software product for the company. The developer uses his library in the…
Michael
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Asking for a more permissive license

I'd like to use and improve an old library for a new project. It is a specialized library and it has not been updated for 5 years. My project is licensed with a permissive license, while the library is licensed under the terms of the GPL. To allow…
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