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Daniel Stenberg 2001-01-04 12:43:53 +00:00
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Updated: January 2, 2001 (http://curl.haxx.se/docs/faq.shtml)
Updated: January 4, 2001 (http://curl.haxx.se/docs/faq.shtml)
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6. License Issues
Curl and libcurl are released under the MPL, the Mozilla Public License. To
get a really good answer to your license conflict questions, you should
study the MPL license and the license you are about to use and check for
clashes yourself. This section is just a brief summary for the cases we get
the most questions. (Parts of this section was much enhanced by Bjorn
Reese.)
NOTE: This section is now updated to concern curl 7.5.2 or later!
Curl and libcurl are released under a MIT/X derivate license *or* the MPL,
the Mozilla Public License. To get a really good answer to your license
conflict questions, you should study the MPL and MIT/X licenses and the
license you are about to use and check for clashes yourself. This section is
just a brief summary for the cases we get the most questions. (Parts of this
section was much enhanced by Bjorn Reese.)
6.1. I have a GPL program, can I use the libcurl library?
No, unfortunately you cannot distribute the (lib)curl code with your code.
According to both the Free Software Foundation and the Mozilla
Organization, MPL and GPL are not compatible, because GPL requires of
other licenses that they do "not impose any further restrictions on the
recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein" [GPL paragraph 6] (One
could argue about which license that actually imposes restrictions, but
that'll be left for you to ponder about.)
Yes!
However, you have two alternative options:
1) Nothing prevents you from distributing your program separately from
curl and libcurl, and request that the user receives it separately.
The incompability issues between MPL and GPL only applies to the
distribution.
2) Add the following exception to your distribution (you must have the
consent of all the copyright holders of the source code in your
project in order to do this)
As a special exception, you have permission to link this program
with the curl library and distribute executables, as long as you
follow the requirements of the GNU GPL in regard to all of the
software in the executable aside from curl.
This exception must be added to your GPL covered source code files
immediately after the notification mentioned in the appendix of GPL.
The wording was originally suggested by the Free Software Foundation
in relationship with the Qt library. We have changed the wording to
apply to curl.
Since libcurl may be distributed under the MIT/X derivate license, it can be
used together with GPL in any software.
6.2. I have a closed-source program, can I use the libcurl library?
Yes, libcurl does not put any restrictions on the program that uses the
library. If you end up doing changes to the library, only those changes must
be made available, not the ones to your program.
Yes.
libcurl does not put any restrictions on the program that uses the
library.
6.3. I have a BSD licensed program, can I use the libcurl library?
Yes, libcurl does not put any restrictions on the program that uses the
library. If you end up doing changes to the library, only those changes must
be made available, not the ones to your program.
Yes.
libcurl does not put any restrictions on the program that uses the
library.
6.4. I have a program that uses LGPL libraries, can I use libcurl?
Yes you can. LGPL libraries don't spread to other libraries the same way GPL
ones do.
Yes.
However, when you read paragraph (3) of the LGPL license, you'll see that
anyone - at will - may at any time convert that LGPL program into GPL. And
GPL programs can't be distributed together with MPL programs, neither with
(lib)curl source code and not as a binary.
The LGPL license don't clash with other licenses.
6.5. Can I modify curl/libcurl for my program and keep the changes secret?
No, you're not allowed to do that.
Yes.
The MIT/X derivate license practically allows you to do almost anything with
the sources, on the condition that the copyright texts in the sources are
left intact.
6.6. Can you please change the curl/libcurl license to XXXX?
No. We carefully picked this license years ago and a large amount of people
have contributed with source code knowing that this is the license we
use. This license puts the restrictions we want on curl/libcurl and it does
not spread to other programs or libraries that use it.
not spread to other programs or libraries that use it. The recent dual
license modification should make it possible for everyone to use libcurl or
curl in their projects, no matter what license they already have in use.