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| -rw-r--r-- | docs/FAQ | 79 |
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@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@ -Updated: January 2, 2001 (http://curl.haxx.se/docs/faq.shtml) +Updated: January 4, 2001 (http://curl.haxx.se/docs/faq.shtml) _ _ ____ _ ___| | | | _ \| | / __| | | | |_) | | @@ -467,74 +467,55 @@ FAQ 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! - 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.) - - 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. + 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.) - 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) + 6.1. I have a GPL program, can I use the libcurl library? - 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. + Yes! - 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. |