msgid "" "Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU GPL v2.0 - GNU Project - Free " "Software Foundation" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <h2> msgid "Frequently Asked Questions about version 2 of the GNU GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This page contains answers to commonly asked questions about the GNU General " "Public License (GPL), version 2. The FAQ for the current version of the GPL " "is <a href=\"/licenses/gpl-faq.html\">here</a>. To learn more about the Free " "Software Foundation's other licenses, please see <a " "href=\"/licenses/licenses.html\">our licenses page</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "After you read this FAQ, <a href=\"/cgi-bin/license-quiz.cgi\">you can test " "your knowledge of Free Software licensing with our quiz</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Table of Contents" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "" "Basic questions about the GPL, the GNU Project, and the Free Software " "Foundation" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "General understanding of the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Using the GPL for your programs" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Distribution of programs released under the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Using programs released under the GPL when writing other programs" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Combining work with code released under the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Questions about violations of the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatDoesGPLStandFor\" id=\"TOCWhatDoesGPLStandFor\">What does " "“GPL” stand for?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\" " "id=\"TOCDoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\">Does free software mean using the " "GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\" " "id=\"TOCDoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\">Does all GNU software " "use the GNU GPL as its license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\" " "id=\"TOCDoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\">Does using the GPL for " "a program make it GNU software?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLOtherThanSoftware\" id=\"TOCGPLOtherThanSoftware\">Can I use " "the GPL for something other than software?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyNotGPLForManuals\" id=\"TOCWhyNotGPLForManuals\">Why don't you " "use the GPL for manuals?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLTranslations\" id=\"TOCGPLTranslations\">Are there " "translations of the GPL into other languages?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\" id=\"TOCWhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\">Why are " "some GNU libraries released under the ordinary GPL rather than the Lesser " "GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#AssignCopyright\" id=\"TOCAssignCopyright\">Why does the FSF " "require that contributors to FSF-copyrighted programs assign copyright to " "the FSF? If I hold copyright on a GPL'ed program, should I do this, too? If " "so, how?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ModifyGPL\" id=\"TOCModifyGPL\">Can I modify the GPL and make a " "modified license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"TOCWhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\">Why does " "the GPL permit users to publish their modified versions?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\" " "id=\"TOCGPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\">Does the GPL require that source code " "of modified versions be posted to the public?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\" " "id=\"TOCGPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\"> Can I have a GPL-covered program and " "an unrelated nonfree program on the same computer?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CanIDemandACopy\" id=\"TOCCanIDemandACopy\">If I know someone has " "a copy of a GPL-covered program, can I demand he give me a copy?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\" " "id=\"TOCWhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\">What does this “written offer " "valid for any third party” mean? Does that mean everyone in the world " "can get the source to any GPL'ed program no matter what?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#TheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"TOCTheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\">The GPL says that modified versions, if " "released, must be “licensed … to all third parties.” Who " "are these third parties?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowMoney\">Does the " "GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\" " "id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\"> Does the GPL allow me to charge a fee " "for downloading the program from my distribution site?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\"> " "Does the GPL allow me to require that anyone who receives the software must " "pay me a fee and/or notify me?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\" " "id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\">If I distribute GPL'd " "software for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public " "without a charge?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowNDA\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowNDA\">Does the GPL " "allow me to distribute a copy under a nondisclosure agreement?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\">Does the " "GPL allow me to distribute a modified or beta version under a nondisclosure " "agreement?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DevelopChangesUnderNDA\" id=\"TOCDevelopChangesUnderNDA\">Does " "the GPL allow me to develop a modified version under a nondisclosure " "agreement?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#RequiredToClaimCopyright\" id=\"TOCRequiredToClaimCopyright\">Am " "I required to claim a copyright on my modifications to a GPL-covered " "program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CombinePublicDomainWithGPL\" " "id=\"TOCCombinePublicDomainWithGPL\">If a program combines public-domain " "code with GPL-covered code, can I take the public-domain part and use it as " "public domain code?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#IWantCredit\" id=\"TOCIWantCredit\">I want to get credit for my " "work. I want people to know what I wrote. Can I still get credit if I use " "the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatIsCompatible\" id=\"TOCWhatIsCompatible\">What does it mean " "to say that two licenses are “compatible”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatDoesCompatMean\" id=\"TOCWhatDoesCompatMean\">What does it " "mean to say a license is “compatible with the GPL”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#OrigBSD\" id=\"TOCOrigBSD\">Why is the original BSD license " "incompatible with the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLCommercially\" id=\"TOCGPLCommercially\">If I use a piece of " "software that has been obtained under the GNU GPL, am I allowed to modify " "the original code into a new program, then distribute and sell that new " "program commercially?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LGPLJava\" id=\"TOCLGPLJava\">How does the LGPL work with " "Java?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CouldYouHelpApplyGPL\" id=\"TOCCouldYouHelpApplyGPL\">Could you " "give me step by step instructions on how to apply the GPL to my program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyUseGPL\" id=\"TOCWhyUseGPL\">Why should I use the GNU GPL " "rather than other free software licenses?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyMustIInclude\" id=\"TOCWhyMustIInclude\">Why does the GPL " "require including a copy of the GPL with every copy of the program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatIfWorkIsShort\" id=\"TOCWhatIfWorkIsShort\">What if the work " "is not much longer than the license itself?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLOmitPreamble\" id=\"TOCGPLOmitPreamble\">Can I omit the " "preamble of the GPL, or the instructions for how to use it on your own " "programs, to save space?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#HowIGetCopyright\" id=\"TOCHowIGetCopyright\">How do I get a " "copyright on my program in order to release it under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatIfSchool\" id=\"TOCWhatIfSchool\">What if my school might " "want to make my program into its own proprietary software product?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\" id=\"TOCReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\">I would " "like to release a program I wrote under the GNU GPL, but I would like to use " "the same code in nonfree programs.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CanDeveloperThirdParty\" id=\"TOCCanDeveloperThirdParty\">Can the " "developer of a program who distributed it under the GPL later license it to " "another party for exclusive use?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLUSGov\" id=\"TOCGPLUSGov\">Can the US Government release a " "program under the GNU GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#VersionTwoOrLater\" id=\"TOCVersionTwoOrLater\">Why should " "programs say “Version 2 of the GPL or any later version”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#FontException\" id=\"TOCFontException\">How does the GPL apply to " "fonts?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WMS\" id=\"TOCWMS\">What license should I use for website " "maintenance system templates?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#NonFreeTools\" id=\"TOCNonFreeTools\">Can I release a program " "under the GPL which I developed using nonfree tools?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ModifiedJustBinary\" id=\"TOCModifiedJustBinary\">Can I release a " "modified version of a GPL-covered program in binary form only?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#UnchangedJustBinary\" id=\"TOCUnchangedJustBinary\">I downloaded " "just the binary from the net. If I distribute copies, do I have to get the " "source and distribute that too?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributeWithSourceOnInternet\" " "id=\"TOCDistributeWithSourceOnInternet\">I want to distribute binaries via " "physical media without accompanying sources. Can I provide source code by " "FTP instead of by mail order?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#RedistributedBinariesGetSource\" " "id=\"TOCRedistributedBinariesGetSource\">My friend got a GPL-covered binary " "with an offer to supply source, and made a copy for me. Can I use the offer " "to obtain the source?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#SourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\" " "id=\"TOCSourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\">Can I put the binaries on my " "Internet server and put the source on a different Internet site?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributeExtendedBinary\" id=\"TOCDistributeExtendedBinary\">I " "want to distribute an extended version of a GPL-covered program in binary " "form. Is it enough to distribute the source for the original version?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributingSourceIsInconvenient\" " "id=\"TOCDistributingSourceIsInconvenient\">I want to distribute binaries, " "but distributing complete source is inconvenient. Is it ok if I give users " "the diffs from the “standard” version along with the " "binaries?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#AnonFTPAndSendSources\" id=\"TOCAnonFTPAndSendSources\">I want to " "make binaries available for anonymous FTP, but send sources only to people " "who order them.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#HowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\" " "id=\"TOCHowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\">How can I make sure each " "user who downloads the binaries also gets the source?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ReleaseNotOriginal\" id=\"TOCReleaseNotOriginal\"> Can I release " "a program with a license which says that you can distribute modified " "versions of it under the GPL but you can't distribute the original itself " "under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#UnreleasedMods\" id=\"TOCUnreleasedMods\"> A company is running a " "modified version of a GPL'ed program on a web site. Does the GPL say they " "must release their modified sources?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#InternalDistribution\" id=\"TOCInternalDistribution\"> Is use " "within one organization or company “distribution”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#StolenCopy\" id=\"TOCStolenCopy\"> If someone steals a CD " "containing a version of a GPL-covered program, does the GPL give him the " "right to redistribute that version?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#TradeSecretRelease\" id=\"TOCTradeSecretRelease\"> What if a " "company distributes a copy of some other developers' GPL-covered work to me " "as a trade secret?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#TradeSecretRelease2\" id=\"TOCTradeSecretRelease2\"> What if a " "company distributes a copy of its own GPL-covered work to me as a trade " "secret?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributeSubsidiary\" id=\"TOCDistributeSubsidiary\"> Does " "moving a copy to a majority-owned, and controlled, subsidiary constitute " "distribution?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ClickThrough\" id=\"TOCClickThrough\"> Can software installers " "ask people to click to agree to the GPL? If I get some software under the " "GPL, do I have to agree to anything?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLCompatInstaller\" id=\"TOCGPLCompatInstaller\">I would like to " "bundle GPLed software with some sort of installation software. Does that " "installer need to have a GPL-compatible license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CanIUseGPLToolsForNF\" id=\"TOCCanIUseGPLToolsForNF\">Can I use " "GPL-covered editors such as GNU Emacs to develop nonfree programs? Can I use " "GPL-covered tools such as GCC to compile them?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLOutput\" id=\"TOCGPLOutput\">Is there some way that I can GPL " "the output people get from use of my program? For example, if my program is " "used to develop hardware designs, can I require that these designs must be " "free?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatCaseIsOutputGPL\" id=\"TOCWhatCaseIsOutputGPL\">In what cases " "is the output of a GPL program covered by the GPL too?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#PortProgramToGPL\" id=\"TOCPortProgramToGPL\">If I port my " "program to GNU/Linux, does that mean I have to release it as Free Software " "under the GPL or some other Free Software license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LibGCCException\" id=\"TOCLibGCCException\">Does the libstdc++ " "exception permit dynamic linking?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#MereAggregation\" id=\"TOCMereAggregation\">What is the " "difference between “mere aggregation” and “combining two " "modules into one program”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLFairUse\" id=\"TOCGPLFairUse\">Do I have “fair " "use” rights in using the source code of a GPL-covered program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLUSGovAdd\" id=\"TOCGPLUSGovAdd\">Can the US Government release " "improvements to a GPL-covered program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#IfLibraryIsGPL\" id=\"TOCIfLibraryIsGPL\">If a library is " "released under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean that any program which " "uses it has to be under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LinkingWithGPL\" id=\"TOCLinkingWithGPL\">You have a GPL'ed " "program that I'd like to link with my code to build a proprietary program. " "Does the fact that I link with your program mean I have to GPL my " "program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#SwitchToLGPL\" id=\"TOCSwitchToLGPL\">If so, is there any chance " "I could get a license of your program under the Lesser GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WillYouMakeAnException\" id=\"TOCWillYouMakeAnException\">Using a " "certain GNU program under the GPL does not fit our project to make " "proprietary software. Will you make an exception for us? It would mean more " "users of that program.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#IfInterpreterIsGPL\" id=\"TOCIfInterpreterIsGPL\">If a " "programming language interpreter is released under the GPL, does that mean " "programs written to be interpreted by it must be under GPL-compatible " "licenses?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#InterpreterIncompat\" id=\"TOCInterpreterIncompat\">If a " "programming language interpreter has a license that is incompatible with the " "GPL, can I run GPL-covered programs on it?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLModuleLicense\" id=\"TOCGPLModuleLicense\">If I add a module " "to a GPL-covered program, do I have to use the GPL as the license for my " "module?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLPlugins\" id=\"TOCGPLPlugins\"> When are a program and its " "plug-ins considered a single combined program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLAndPlugins\" id=\"TOCGPLAndPlugins\">If a program released " "under the GPL uses plug-ins, what are the requirements for the licenses of a " "plug-in?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLPluginsInNF\" id=\"TOCGPLPluginsInNF\">Can I apply the GPL " "when writing a plug-in for a nonfree program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#NFUseGPLPlugins\" id=\"TOCNFUseGPLPlugins\">Can I release a " "nonfree program that's designed to load a GPL-covered plug-in?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLInProprietarySystem\" id=\"TOCGPLInProprietarySystem\">I'd " "like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do " "this?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLWrapper\" id=\"TOCGPLWrapper\">I'd like to incorporate " "GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do this by putting a " "“wrapper” module, under a GPL-compatible lax permissive license " "(such as the X11 license) in between the GPL-covered part and the " "proprietary part?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#FSWithNFLibs\" id=\"TOCFSWithNFLibs\"> Can I write free software " "that uses nonfree libraries?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLIncompatibleLibs\" id=\"TOCGPLIncompatibleLibs\"> What legal " "issues come up if I use GPL-incompatible libraries with GPL software?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WindowsRuntimeAndGPL\" id=\"TOCWindowsRuntimeAndGPL\">I'm writing " "a Windows application with Microsoft Visual C++ and I will be releasing it " "under the GPL. Is dynamically linking my program with the Visual C++ " "run-time library permitted under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#MoneyGuzzlerInc\" id=\"TOCMoneyGuzzlerInc\">I'd like to modify " "GPL-covered programs and link them with the portability libraries from Money " "Guzzler Inc. I cannot distribute the source code for these libraries, so " "any user who wanted to change these versions would have to obtain those " "libraries separately. Why doesn't the GPL permit this?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLIncompatibleAlone\" id=\"TOCGPLIncompatibleAlone\">If license " "for a module Q has a requirement that's incompatible with the GPL, but the " "requirement applies only when Q is distributed by itself, not when Q is " "included in a larger program, does that make the license GPL-compatible? Can " "I combine or link Q with a GPL-covered program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#OOPLang\" id=\"TOCOOPLang\"> In an object-oriented language such " "as Java, if I use a class that is GPL'ed without modifying, and subclass it, " "in what way does the GPL affect the larger program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LinkingOverControlledInterface\" " "id=\"TOCLinkingOverControlledInterface\">How can I allow linking of " "proprietary modules with my GPL-covered library under a controlled interface " "only?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#Consider\" id=\"TOCConsider\">Consider this situation: 1. X " "releases V1 of a project under the GPL. 2. Y contributes to the development " "of V2 with changes and new code based on V1. 3. X wants to convert V2 to a " "non-GPL license. Does X need Y's permission?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ManyDifferentLicenses\" id=\"TOCManyDifferentLicenses\">I have " "written an application that links with many different components, that have " "different licenses. I am very confused as to what licensing requirements " "are placed on my program. Can you please tell me what licenses I may " "use?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ReportingViolation\" id=\"TOCReportingViolation\">What should I " "do if I discover a possible violation of the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhoHasThePower\" id=\"TOCWhoHasThePower\">Who has the power to " "enforce the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#HeardOtherLicense\" id=\"TOCHeardOtherLicense\">I heard that " "someone got a copy of a GPL'ed program under another license. Is this " "possible?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DeveloperViolate\" id=\"TOCDeveloperViolate\">Is the developer of " "a GPL-covered program bound by the GPL? Could the developer's actions ever " "be a violation of the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CompanyGPLCostsMoney\" id=\"TOCCompanyGPLCostsMoney\"> I just " "found out that a company has a copy of a GPL'ed program, and it costs money " "to get it. Aren't they violating the GPL by not making it available on the " "Internet?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatDoesGPLStandFor\" id=\"WhatDoesGPLStandFor\">What does " "“GPL” stand for?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "“GPL” stands for “General Public License”. The most " "widespread such license is the GNU General Public License, or GNU GPL for " "short. This can be further shortened to “GPL”, when it is " "understood that the GNU GPL is the one intended." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\" " "id=\"DoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\"> Does free software mean using the " "GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Not at all—there are many other free software licenses. We have an <a " "href=\"/licenses/license-list.html\"> incomplete list</a>. Any license that " "provides the user <a href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\">certain specific " "freedoms</a> is a free software license." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyUseGPL\" id=\"WhyUseGPL\"> Why should I use the GNU GPL " "rather than other free software licenses?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Using the GNU GPL will require that all the <a " "href=\"/philosophy/pragmatic.html\">released improved versions be free " "software</a>. This means you can avoid the risk of having to compete with a " "proprietary modified version of your own work. However, in some special " "situations it can be better to use a <a " "href=\"/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html\"> more permissive license</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\" " "id=\"DoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\"> Does all GNU software use " "the GNU GPL as its license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Most GNU software packages use the GNU GPL, but there are a few GNU programs " "(and parts of programs) that use looser licenses, such as the Lesser GPL. " "When we do this, it is a matter of <a href=\"/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html\"> " "strategy</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\" " "id=\"DoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\"> Does using the GPL for a " "program make it GNU software?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Anyone can release a program under the GNU GPL but that does not make it a " "GNU package." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Making the program a GNU software package means explicitly contributing to " "the GNU Project. This happens when the program's developers and the GNU " "Project agree to do it. If you are interested in contributing a program to " "the GNU Project, please write to <a " "href=\"mailto:maintainers@gnu.org\"><maintainers@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCReportingViolation\" id=\"ReportingViolation\"> What should " "I do if I discover a possible violation of the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You should <a href=\"/licenses/gpl-violation.html\">report it</a>. First, " "check the facts as best you can. Then tell the publisher or copyright " "holder of the specific GPL-covered program. If that is the Free Software " "Foundation, write to <a " "href=\"mailto:license-violation@gnu.org\"><license-violation@gnu.org></a>. " "Otherwise, the program's maintainer may be the copyright holder, or else " "could tell you how to contact the copyright holder, so report it to the " "maintainer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"WhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\"> Why does the " "GPL permit users to publish their modified versions?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "A crucial aspect of free software is that users are free to cooperate. It " "is absolutely essential to permit users who wish to help each other to share " "their bug fixes and improvements with other users." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some have proposed alternatives to the GPL that require modified versions to " "go through the original author. As long as the original author keeps up " "with the need for maintenance, this may work well in practice, but if the " "author stops (more or less) to do something else or does not attend to all " "the users' needs, this scheme falls down. Aside from the practical " "problems, this scheme does not allow users to help each other." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Sometimes control over modified versions is proposed as a means of " "preventing confusion between various versions made by users. In our " "experience, this confusion is not a major problem. Many versions of Emacs " "have been made outside the GNU Project, but users can tell them apart. The " "GPL requires the maker of a version to place his or her name on it, to " "distinguish it from other versions and to protect the reputations of other " "maintainers." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\" " "id=\"GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\"> Does the GPL require that source code " "of modified versions be posted to the public?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL does not require you to release your modified version. You are free " "to make modifications and use them privately, without ever releasing them. " "This applies to organizations (including companies), too; an organization " "can make a modified version and use it internally without ever releasing it " "outside the organization." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "But <em>if</em> you release the modified version to the public in some way, " "the GPL requires you to make the modified source code available to the " "program's users, under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Thus, the GPL gives permission to release the modified program in certain " "ways, and not in other ways; but the decision of whether to release it is up " "to you." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\" " "id=\"GPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\"> Can I have a GPL-covered program and an " "unrelated nonfree program on the same computer?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. The “mere aggregation” clause in the GPL makes this " "permission explicit, but that only reinforces what we believe would be true " "anyway." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCanIDemandACopy\" id=\"CanIDemandACopy\">If I know someone " "has a copy of a GPL-covered program, can I demand he give me a copy?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL gives him permission to make and redistribute copies of the " "program <em>if and when he chooses to do so</em>. He also has the right not " "to redistribute the program, when that is what he chooses." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\" " "id=\"WhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\"> What does this “written offer valid " "for any third party” mean? Does that mean everyone in the world can " "get the source to any GPL'ed program no matter what?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you choose to provide source through a written offer, then anybody who " "requests the source from you is entitled to receive it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you commercially distribute binaries not accompanied with source code, " "the GPL says you must provide a written offer to distribute the source code " "later. When users non-commercially redistribute the binaries they received " "from you, they must pass along a copy of this written offer. This means " "that people who did not get the binaries directly from you can still receive " "copies of the source code, along with the written offer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The reason we require the offer to be valid for any third party is so that " "people who receive the binaries indirectly in that way can order the source " "code from you." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCTheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"TheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\">The GPL says that modified versions, if " "released, must be “licensed … to all third parties.” Who " "are these third parties?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Section 2 says that modified versions you distribute must be licensed to all " "third parties under the GPL. “All third parties” means " "absolutely everyone—but this does not require you to " "<strong>do</strong> anything physically for them. It only means they have a " "license from you, under the GPL, for your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCRequiredToClaimCopyright\" " "id=\"RequiredToClaimCopyright\">Am I required to claim a copyright on my " "modifications to a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You are not required to claim a copyright on your changes. In most " "countries, however, that happens automatically by default, so you need to " "place your changes explicitly in the public domain if you do not want them " "to be copyrighted." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Whether you claim a copyright on your changes or not, either way you must " "release the modified version, as a whole, under the GPL. (<a " "href=\"#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\">if you release your modified version " "at all</a>)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCombinePublicDomainWithGPL\" " "id=\"CombinePublicDomainWithGPL\">If a program combines public-domain code " "with GPL-covered code, can I take the public-domain part and use it as " "public domain code?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can do that, if you can figure out which part is the public domain part " "and separate it from the rest. If code was put in the public domain by its " "developer, it is in the public domain no matter where it has been." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowMoney\" id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowMoney\"> Does " "the GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, the GPL allows everyone to do this. The <a " "href=\"/philosophy/selling.html\"> right to sell copies </a> is part of the " "definition of free software. Except in one special situation, there is no " "limit on what price you can charge. (The one exception is the required " "written offer to provide source code that must accompany binary-only " "release.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\" " "id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\"> Does the GPL allow me to charge a fee for " "downloading the program from my distribution site?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. You can charge any fee you wish for distributing a copy of the " "program. If you distribute binaries by download, you must provide " "“equivalent access” to download the source—therefore, the " "fee to download source may not be greater than the fee to download the " "binary." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\" " "id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\"> Does the GPL allow me to require that " "anyone who receives the software must pay me a fee and/or notify me?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. In fact, a requirement like that would make the program nonfree. If " "people have to pay when they get a copy of a program, or if they have to " "notify anyone in particular, then the program is not free. See the <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\"> definition of free software</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL is a free software license, and therefore it permits people to use " "and even redistribute the software without being required to pay anyone a " "fee for doing so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You <em>can</em> charge people a fee to <a " "href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney\">get a copy <em>from you</em></a>. You can't " "require people to pay you when they get a copy <em>from someone else</em>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\" " "id=\"DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\">If I distribute GPL'd software " "for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public without a " "charge?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. However, if someone pays your fee and gets a copy, the GPL gives them " "the freedom to release it to the public, with or without a fee. For " "example, someone could pay your fee, and then put her copy on a web site for " "the general public." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowNDA\" id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowNDA\"> Does the " "GPL allow me to distribute copies under a nondisclosure agreement?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL says that anyone who receives a copy from you has the right to " "redistribute copies, modified or not. You are not allowed to distribute the " "work on any more restrictive basis." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If someone asks you to sign an NDA for receiving GPL-covered software " "copyrighted by the FSF, please inform us immediately by writing to <a " "href=\"mailto:license-violation@fsf.org\">license-violation@fsf.org</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the violation involves GPL-covered code that has some other copyright " "holder, please inform that copyright holder, just as you would for any other " "kind of violation of the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\" id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\"> Does " "the GPL allow me to distribute a modified or beta version under a " "nondisclosure agreement?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL says that your modified versions must carry all the freedoms " "stated in the GPL. Thus, anyone who receives a copy of your version from " "you has the right to redistribute copies (modified or not) of that version. " "You may not distribute any version of the work on a more restrictive basis." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDevelopChangesUnderNDA\" id=\"DevelopChangesUnderNDA\"> " "Does the GPL allow me to develop a modified version under a nondisclosure " "agreement?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. For instance, you can accept a contract to develop changes and agree " "not to release <em>your changes</em> until the client says ok. This is " "permitted because in this case no GPL-covered code is being distributed " "under an NDA." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You can also release your changes to the client under the GPL, but agree not " "to release them to anyone else unless the client says ok. In this case, " "too, no GPL-covered code is being distributed under an NDA, or under any " "additional restrictions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL would give the client the right to redistribute your version. In " "this scenario, the client will probably choose not to exercise that right, " "but does <em>have</em> the right." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCIWantCredit\" id=\"IWantCredit\">I want to get credit for " "my work. I want people to know what I wrote. Can I still get credit if I " "use the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can certainly get credit for the work. Part of releasing a program " "under the GPL is writing a copyright notice in your own name (assuming you " "are the copyright holder). The GPL requires all copies to carry an " "appropriate copyright notice." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyMustIInclude\" id=\"WhyMustIInclude\">Why does the GPL " "require including a copy of the GPL with every copy of the program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Including a copy of the license with the work is vital so that everyone who " "gets a copy of the program can know what his rights are." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "It might be tempting to include a URL that refers to the license, instead of " "the license itself. But you cannot be sure that the URL will still be " "valid, five years or ten years from now. Twenty years from now, URLs as we " "know them today may no longer exist." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The only way to make sure that people who have copies of the program will " "continue to be able to see the license, despite all the changes that will " "happen in the network, is to include a copy of the license in the program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatIfWorkIsShort\" id=\"WhatIfWorkIsShort\">What if the " "work is not much longer than the license itself?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If a single program is that short, you may as well use a simple " "all-permissive license for it, rather than the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLOmitPreamble\" id=\"GPLOmitPreamble\"> Can I omit the " "preamble of the GPL, or the instructions for how to use it on your own " "programs, to save space?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The preamble and instructions are integral parts of the GNU GPL and may not " "be omitted. In fact, the GPL is copyrighted, and its license permits only " "verbatim copying of the entire GPL. (You can use the legal terms to make <a " "href=\"#ModifyGPL\">another license</a> but it won't be the GNU GPL.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The preamble and instructions add up to some 5000 characters, less than 1/3 " "of the GPL's total size. They will not make a substantial fractional change " "in the size of a software package unless the package itself is quite small. " "In that case, you may as well use a simple all-permissive license rather " "than the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatIsCompatible\" id=\"WhatIsCompatible\">What does it " "mean to say that two licenses are “compatible”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "In order to combine two programs (or substantial parts of them) into a " "larger work, you need to have permission to use both programs in this way. " "If the two programs' licenses permit this, they are compatible. If there is " "no way to satisfy both licenses at once, they are incompatible." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "For some licenses, the way in which the combination is made may affect " "whether they are compatible—for instance, they may allow linking two " "modules together, but not allow merging their code into one module." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Just to install two separate programs in the same system, it is not " "necessary that their licenses be compatible, because this does not combine " "them into a larger work." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatDoesCompatMean\" id=\"WhatDoesCompatMean\">What does it " "mean to say a license is “compatible with the GPL”.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It means that the other license and the GNU GPL are compatible; you can " "combine code released under the other license with code released under the " "GNU GPL in one larger program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL permits such a combination provided it is released under the GNU " "GPL. The other license is compatible with the GPL if it permits this too." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCFSWithNFLibs\" id=\"FSWithNFLibs\">Can I write free " "software that uses nonfree libraries?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If you do this, your program won't be fully usable in a free environment. If " "your program depends on a nonfree library to do a certain job, it cannot do " "that job in the Free World. If it depends on a nonfree library to run at " "all, it cannot be part of a free operating system such as GNU; it is " "entirely off limits to the Free World." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So please consider: can you find a way to get the job done without using " "this library? Can you write a free replacement for that library?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the program is already written using the nonfree library, perhaps it is " "too late to change the decision. You may as well release the program as it " "stands, rather than not release it. But please mention in the README that " "the need for the nonfree library is a drawback, and suggest the task of " "changing the program so that it does the same job without the nonfree " "library. Please suggest that anyone who thinks of doing substantial further " "work on the program first free it from dependence on the nonfree library." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Note that there may also be legal issues with combining certain nonfree " "libraries with GPL-covered Free Software. Please see <a " "href=\"#GPLIncompatibleLibs\">the question on GPL software with " "GPL-incompatible libraries</a> for more information." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLIncompatibleLibs\" id=\"GPLIncompatibleLibs\">What legal " "issues come up if I use GPL-incompatible libraries with GPL " "software?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the libraries that you link with fall within the following exception in " "the GPL:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not " "include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary " "form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the " "operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself " "accompanies the executable." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "then you don't have to do anything special to use them; the requirement to " "distribute source code for the whole program does not include those " "libraries, even if you distribute a linked executable containing them. " "Thus, if the libraries you need come with major parts of a proprietary " "operating system, the GPL says people can link your program with them " "without any conditions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want your program to link against a library not covered by that " "exception, you need to add your own exception, wholly outside of the " "GPL. This copyright notice and license notice give permission to link with " "the program FOO:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "Copyright (C) yyyy <name of copyright holder>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it " "under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free " "Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) " "any later version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT " "ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or " "FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for " "more details." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with " "this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 " "Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "Linking ABC statically or dynamically with other modules is making a " "combined work based on ABC. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU " "General Public License cover the whole combination." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "In addition, as a special exception, the copyright holders of ABC give you " "permission to combine ABC program with free software programs or libraries " "that are released under the GNU LGPL and with code included in the standard " "release of DEF under the XYZ license (or modified versions of such code, " "with unchanged license). You may copy and distribute such a system " "following the terms of the GNU GPL for ABC and the licenses of the other " "code concerned, provided that you include the source code of that other code " "when and as the GNU GPL requires distribution of source code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "Note that people who make modified versions of ABC are not obligated to " "grant this special exception for their modified versions; it is their choice " "whether to do so. The GNU General Public License gives permission to " "release a modified version without this exception; this exception also makes " "it possible to release a modified version which carries forward this " "exception." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "You should put this text in each file to which the exception applies." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Only the copyright holders for the program can legally authorize this " "exception. If you wrote the whole program yourself, then assuming your " "employer or school does not claim the copyright, you are the copyright " "holder—so you can authorize the exception. But if you want to use " "parts of other GPL-covered programs by other authors in your code, you " "cannot authorize the exception for them. You have to get the approval of the " "copyright holders of those programs." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "When other people modify the program, they do not have to make the same " "exception for their code—it is their choice whether to do so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the libraries you intend to link with are nonfree, please also see <a " "href=\"#FSWithNFLibs\">the section on writing Free Software which uses " "nonfree libraries</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCHowIGetCopyright\" id=\"HowIGetCopyright\">How do I get a " "copyright on my program in order to release it under the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Under the Berne Convention, everything written is automatically copyrighted " "from whenever it is put in fixed form. So you don't have to do anything to " "“get” the copyright on what you write—as long as nobody " "else can claim to own your work." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, registering the copyright in the US is a very good idea. It will " "give you more clout in dealing with an infringer in the US." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The case when someone else might possibly claim the copyright is if you are " "an employee or student; then the employer or the school might claim you did " "the job for them and that the copyright belongs to them. Whether they would " "have a valid claim would depend on circumstances such as the laws of the " "place where you live, and on your employment contract and what sort of work " "you do. It is best to consult a lawyer if there is any possible doubt." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you think that the employer or school might have a claim, you can resolve " "the problem clearly by getting a copyright disclaimer signed by a suitably " "authorized officer of the company or school. (Your immediate boss or a " "professor is usually NOT authorized to sign such a disclaimer.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatIfSchool\" id=\"WhatIfSchool\">What if my school might " "want to make my program into its own proprietary software product?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Many universities nowadays try to raise funds by restricting the use of the " "knowledge and information they develop, in effect behaving little different " "from commercial businesses. (See “The Kept University”, " "Atlantic Monthly, March 2000, for a general discussion of this problem and " "its effects.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you see any chance that your school might refuse to allow your program to " "be released as free software, it is best to raise the issue at the earliest " "possible stage. The closer the program is to working usefully, the more " "temptation the administration might feel to take it from you and finish it " "without you. At an earlier stage, you have more leverage." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So we recommend that you approach them when the program is only half-done, " "saying, “If you will agree to releasing this as free software, I will " "finish it.” Don't think of this as a bluff. To prevail, you must have " "the courage to say, “My program will have liberty, or never be " "born.”" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCouldYouHelpApplyGPL\" id=\"CouldYouHelpApplyGPL\">Could " "you give me step by step instructions on how to apply the GPL to my " "program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "See the page of <a href=\"/licenses/gpl-howto.html\"> GPL instructions</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCHeardOtherLicense\" id=\"HeardOtherLicense\">I heard that " "someone got a copy of a GPL'ed program under another license. Is this " "possible?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GNU GPL does not give users permission to attach other licenses to the " "program. But the copyright holder for a program can release it under " "several different licenses in parallel. One of them may be the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The license that comes in your copy, assuming it was put in by the copyright " "holder and that you got the copy legitimately, is the license that applies " "to your copy." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\" id=\"ReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\">I would " "like to release a program I wrote under the GNU GPL, but I would like to use " "the same code in nonfree programs.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "To release a nonfree program is always ethically tainted, but legally there " "is no obstacle to your doing this. If you are the copyright holder for the " "code, you can release it under various different non-exclusive licenses at " "various times." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDeveloperViolate\" id=\"DeveloperViolate\">Is the developer " "of a GPL-covered program bound by the GPL? Could the developer's actions " "ever be a violation of the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Strictly speaking, the GPL is a license from the developer for others to " "use, distribute and change the program. The developer itself is not bound " "by it, so no matter what the developer does, this is not a " "“violation” of the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, if the developer does something that would violate the GPL if done " "by someone else, the developer will surely lose moral standing in the " "community." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCanDeveloperThirdParty\" id=\"CanDeveloperThirdParty\">Can " "the developer of a program who distributed it under the GPL later license it " "to another party for exclusive use?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No, because the public already has the right to use the program under the " "GPL, and this right cannot be withdrawn." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCanIUseGPLToolsForNF\" id=\"CanIUseGPLToolsForNF\">Can I " "use GPL-covered editors such as GNU Emacs to develop nonfree programs? Can I " "use GPL-covered tools such as GCC to compile them?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, because the copyright on the editors and tools does not cover the code " "you write. Using them does not place any restrictions, legally, on the " "license you use for your code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some programs copy parts of themselves into the output for technical " "reasons—for example, Bison copies a standard parser program into its " "output file. In such cases, the copied text in the output is covered by the " "same license that covers it in the source code. Meanwhile, the part of the " "output which is derived from the program's input inherits the copyright " "status of the input." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "As it happens, Bison can also be used to develop nonfree programs. This is " "because we decided to explicitly permit the use of the Bison standard parser " "program in Bison output files without restriction. We made the decision " "because there were other tools comparable to Bison which already permitted " "use for nonfree programs." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLFairUse\" id=\"GPLFairUse\">Do I have “fair " "use” rights in using the source code of a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, you do. “Fair use” is use that is allowed without any " "special permission. Since you don't need the developers' permission for " "such use, you can do it regardless of what the developers said about " "it—in the license or elsewhere, whether that license be the GNU GPL or " "any other free software license." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Note, however, that there is no world-wide principle of fair use; what kinds " "of use are considered “fair” varies from country to country." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLUSGov\" id=\"GPLUSGov\">Can the US Government release a " "program under the GNU GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the program is written by US federal government employees in the course " "of their employment, it is in the public domain, which means it is not " "copyrighted. Since the GNU GPL is based on copyright, such a program cannot " "be released under the GNU GPL. (It can still be <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\"> free software</a>, however; a public " "domain program is free.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when a US federal government agency uses contractors to develop " "software, that is a different situation. The contract can require the " "contractor to release it under the GNU GPL. (GNU Ada was developed in this " "way.) Or the contract can assign the copyright to the government agency, " "which can then release the software under the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLUSGovAdd\" id=\"GPLUSGovAdd\">Can the US Government " "release improvements to a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. If the improvements are written by US government employees in the " "course of their employment, then the improvements are in the public domain. " "However, the improved version, as a whole, is still covered by the GNU GPL. " "There is no problem in this situation." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the US government uses contractors to do the job, then the improvements " "themselves can be GPL-covered." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLOutput\" id=\"GPLOutput\">Is there some way that I can " "GPL the output people get from use of my program? For example, if my program " "is used to develop hardware designs, can I require that these designs must " "be free?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "In general this is legally impossible; copyright law does not give you any " "say in the use of the output people make from their data using your " "program. If the user uses your program to enter or convert his own data, " "the copyright on the output belongs to him, not you. More generally, when a " "program translates its input into some other form, the copyright status of " "the output inherits that of the input it was generated from." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So the only way you have a say in the use of the output is if substantial " "parts of the output are copied (more or less) from text in your program. " "For instance, part of the output of Bison (see above) would be covered by " "the GNU GPL, if we had not made an exception in this specific case." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You could artificially make a program copy certain text into its output even " "if there is no technical reason to do so. But if that copied text serves no " "practical purpose, the user could simply delete that text from the output " "and use only the rest. Then he would not have to obey the conditions on " "redistribution of the copied text." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatCaseIsOutputGPL\" id=\"WhatCaseIsOutputGPL\">In what " "cases is the output of a GPL program covered by the GPL too?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "Only when the program copies part of itself into the output." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLModuleLicense\" id=\"GPLModuleLicense\">If I add a " "module to a GPL-covered program, do I have to use the GPL as the license for " "my module?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL says that the whole combined program has to be released under the " "GPL. So your module has to be available for use under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "But you can give additional permission for the use of your code. You can, " "if you wish, release your module under a license which is more lax than the " "GPL but compatible with the GPL. The <a " "href=\"/licenses/license-list.html\">license list page</a> gives a partial " "list of GPL-compatible licenses." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCIfLibraryIsGPL\" id=\"IfLibraryIsGPL\">If a library is " "released under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean that any program which " "uses it has to be under the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Yes, because the program actually links to the library. As such, the terms " "of the GPL apply to the entire combination. The software modules that link " "with the library may be under various GPL compatible licenses, but the work " "as a whole must be licensed under the GPL. See also: <a " "href=\"#WhatDoesCompatMean\">What does it mean to say a license is " "“compatible with the GPL”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCIfInterpreterIsGPL\" id=\"IfInterpreterIsGPL\">If a " "programming language interpreter is released under the GPL, does that mean " "programs written to be interpreted by it must be under GPL-compatible " "licenses?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "When the interpreter just interprets a language, the answer is no. The " "interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data; a free software " "license like the GPL, based on copyright law, cannot limit what data you use " "the interpreter on. You can run it on any data (interpreted program), any " "way you like, and there are no requirements about licensing that data to " "anyone." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when the interpreter is extended to provide “bindings” " "to other facilities (often, but not necessarily, libraries), the interpreted " "program is effectively linked to the facilities it uses through these " "bindings. So if these facilities are released under the GPL, the interpreted " "program that uses them must be released in a GPL-compatible way. The JNI or " "Java Native Interface is an example of such a binding mechanism; libraries " "that are accessed in this way are linked dynamically with the Java programs " "that call them. These libraries are also linked with the interpreter. If " "the interpreter is linked statically with these libraries, or if it is " "designed to <a href=\"#GPLPluginsInNF\"> link dynamically with these " "specific libraries</a>, then it too needs to be released in a GPL-compatible " "way." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Another similar and very common case is to provide libraries with the " "interpreter which are themselves interpreted. For instance, Perl comes with " "many Perl modules, and a Java implementation comes with many Java classes. " "These libraries and the programs that call them are always dynamically " "linked together." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A consequence is that if you choose to use GPL'd Perl modules or Java " "classes in your program, you must release the program in a GPL-compatible " "way, regardless of the license used in the Perl or Java interpreter that the " "combined Perl or Java program will run on." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWindowsRuntimeAndGPL\" id=\"WindowsRuntimeAndGPL\">I'm " "writing a Windows application with Microsoft Visual C++ (or Visual Basic) " "and I will be releasing it under the GPL. Is dynamically linking my program " "with the Visual C++ (or Visual Basic) run-time library permitted under the " "GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL permits this because that run-time library normally accompanies the " "compiler or interpreter you are using. So it falls under the exception in " "GPL section 3." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "That doesn't mean it is a good idea to write the program so that it only " "runs on Windows. Doing so results in a program that is free software but <a " "href=\"/philosophy/java-trap.html\">“trapped”</a> (in this case, " "trapped by Windows instead of by Java, but the effect is the same). " "(Historical note: As of December 2006 Sun is in the middle of <a " "href=\"http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html\">rereleasing its " "Java platform under GNU GPL</a>.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCOrigBSD\" id=\"OrigBSD\">Why is the original BSD license " "incompatible with the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Because it imposes a specific requirement that is not in the GPL; namely, " "the requirement on advertisements of the program. The GPL states:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of " "the rights granted herein." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The advertising clause provides just such a further restriction, and thus is " "GPL-incompatible." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The revised BSD license does not have the advertising clause, which " "eliminates the problem." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLPlugins\" id=\"GPLPlugins\"> When are a program and its " "plug-ins considered a single combined program? </a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It depends on how the main program invokes its plug-ins. If the main program " "uses fork and exec to invoke plug-ins, and they establish intimate " "communication by sharing complex data structures, or shipping complex data " "structures back and forth, that can make them one single combined program. A " "main program that uses simple fork and exec to invoke plug-ins and does not " "establish intimate communication between them results in the plug-ins being " "a separate program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the main program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function calls " "to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a single " "combined program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main " "program and the plug-ins. If the main program dynamically links plug-ins, " "but the communication between them is limited to invoking the " "‘main’ function of the plug-in with some options and waiting for " "it to return, that is a borderline case." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is pretty " "much equivalent to dynamic linking." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLAndPlugins\" id=\"GPLAndPlugins\">If a program released " "under the GPL uses plug-ins, what are the requirements for the licenses of a " "plug-in?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Please see this question <a href=\"#GPLPlugins\">for determining when " "plug-ins and a main program are considered a single combined program and " "when they are considered separate works</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the main program and the plugins are a single combined program then this " "means you must license the plug-in under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free " "software license and distribute it with source code in a GPL-compliant " "way. A main program that is separate from its plug-ins makes no requirements " "for the plug-ins." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLPluginsInNF\" id=\"GPLPluginsInNF\">Can I apply the GPL " "when writing a plug-in for a nonfree program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Please see this question <a href=\"#GPLPlugins\">for determining when " "plug-ins and a main program are considered a single combined program and " "when they are considered separate programs</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If they form a single combined program this means that combination of the " "GPL-covered plug-in with the nonfree main program would violate the " "GPL. However, you can resolve that legal problem by adding an exception to " "your plug-in's license, giving permission to link it with the nonfree main " "program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "See also the question <a href=\"#FSWithNFLibs\">I am writing free software " "that uses a nonfree library.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCNFUseGPLPlugins\" id=\"NFUseGPLPlugins\">Can I release a " "nonfree program that's designed to load a GPL-covered plug-in?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If they form a single combined program then the main program must be " "released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license, and the " "terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is distributed for " "use with these plug-ins." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, if they are separate works then the license of the plug-in makes no " "requirements about the main program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLinkingWithGPL\" id=\"LinkingWithGPL\">You have a GPL'ed " "program that I'd like to link with my code to build a proprietary program. " "Does the fact that I link with your program mean I have to GPL my " "program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "Yes." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCSwitchToLGPL\" id=\"SwitchToLGPL\">If so, is there any " "chance I could get a license of your program under the Lesser GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can ask, but most authors will stand firm and say no. The idea of the " "GPL is that if you want to include our code in your program, your program " "must also be free software. It is supposed to put pressure on you to " "release your program in a way that makes it part of our community." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "You always have the legal alternative of not using our code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLinkingOverControlledInterface\" " "id=\"LinkingOverControlledInterface\">How can I allow linking of proprietary " "modules with my GPL-covered library under a controlled interface " "only?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Add this text to the license notice of each file in the package, at the end " "of the text that says the file is distributed under the GNU GPL:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "In addition, as a special exception, the copyright holders of ABC give you " "permission to combine ABC program with free software programs or libraries " "that are released under the GNU LGPL and with independent modules that " "communicate with ABC solely through the ABCDEF interface. You may copy and " "distribute such a system following the terms of the GNU GPL for ABC and the " "licenses of the other code concerned, provided that you include the source " "code of that other code when and as the GNU GPL requires distribution of " "source code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCManyDifferentLicenses\" id=\"ManyDifferentLicenses\">I have " "written an application that links with many different components, that have " "different licenses. I am very confused as to what licensing requirements " "are placed on my program. Can you please tell me what licenses I may " "use?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "To answer this question, we would need to see a list of each component that " "your program uses, the license of that component, and a brief (a few " "sentences for each should suffice) describing how your library uses that " "component. Two examples would be:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "" "To make my software work, it must be linked to the FOO library, which is " "available under the Lesser GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "" "My software makes a system call (with a command line that I built) to run " "the BAR program, which is licensed under “the GPL, with a special " "exception allowing for linking with QUUX”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCMereAggregation\" id=\"MereAggregation\">What is the " "difference between “mere aggregation” and “combining two " "modules into one program”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Mere aggregation of two programs means putting them side by side on the same " "CD-ROM or hard disk. We use this term in the case where they are separate " "programs, not parts of a single program. In this case, if one of the " "programs is covered by the GPL, it has no effect on the other program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Combining two modules means connecting them together so that they form a " "single larger program. If either part is covered by the GPL, the whole " "combination must also be released under the GPL—if you can't, or " "won't, do that, you may not combine them." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "What constitutes combining two parts into one program? This is a legal " "question, which ultimately judges will decide. We believe that a proper " "criterion depends both on the mechanism of communication (exec, pipes, rpc, " "function calls within a shared address space, etc.) and the semantics of " "the communication (what kinds of information are interchanged)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the modules are included in the same executable file, they are definitely " "combined in one program. If modules are designed to run linked together in " "a shared address space, that almost surely means combining them into one " "program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "By contrast, pipes, sockets and command-line arguments are communication " "mechanisms normally used between two separate programs. So when they are " "used for communication, the modules normally are separate programs. But if " "the semantics of the communication are intimate enough, exchanging complex " "internal data structures, that too could be a basis to consider the two " "parts as combined into a larger program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCAssignCopyright\" id=\"AssignCopyright\">Why does the FSF " "require that contributors to FSF-copyrighted programs assign copyright to " "the FSF? If I hold copyright on a GPL'ed program, should I do this, too? If " "so, how?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Our lawyers have told us that to be in the <a " "href=\"/licenses/why-assign.html\">best position to enforce the GPL</a> in " "court against violators, we should keep the copyright status of the program " "as simple as possible. We do this by asking each contributor to either " "assign the copyright on his contribution to the FSF, or disclaim copyright " "on it and thus put it in the public domain." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "We also ask individual contributors to get copyright disclaimers from their " "employers (if any) so that we can be sure those employers won't claim to own " "the contributions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Of course, if all the contributors put their code in the public domain, " "there is no copyright with which to enforce the GPL. So we encourage people " "to assign copyright on large code contributions, and only put small changes " "in the public domain." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want to make an effort to enforce the GPL on your program, it is " "probably a good idea for you to follow a similar policy. Please contact <a " "href=\"mailto:licensing@gnu.org\"><licensing@gnu.org></a> if you want " "more information." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCModifyGPL\" id=\"ModifyGPL\">Can I modify the GPL and make " "a modified license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can use the GPL terms (possibly modified) in another license provided " "that you call your license by another name and do not include the GPL " "preamble, and provided you modify the instructions-for-use at the end enough " "to make it clearly different in wording and not mention GNU (though the " "actual procedure you describe may be similar)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want to use our preamble in a modified license, please write to <a " "href=\"mailto:licensing@gnu.org\"><licensing@gnu.org></a> for " "permission. For this purpose we would want to check the actual license " "requirements to see if we approve of them." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Although we will not raise legal objections to your making a modified " "license in this way, we hope you will think twice and not do it. Such a " "modified license is almost certainly <a href=\"#WhatIsCompatible\"> " "incompatible with the GNU GPL</a>, and that incompatibility blocks useful " "combinations of modules. The mere proliferation of different free software " "licenses is a burden in and of itself." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLCommercially\" id=\"GPLCommercially\">If I use a piece " "of software that has been obtained under the GNU GPL, am I allowed to modify " "the original code into a new program, then distribute and sell that new " "program commercially?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You are allowed to sell copies of the modified program commercially, but " "only under the terms of the GNU GPL. Thus, for instance, you must make the " "source code available to the users of the program as described in the GPL, " "and they must be allowed to redistribute and modify it as described in the " "GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "These requirements are the condition for including the GPL-covered code you " "received in a program of your own." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLOtherThanSoftware\" id=\"GPLOtherThanSoftware\">Can I " "use the GPL for something other than software?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can apply the GPL to any kind of work, as long as it is clear what " "constitutes the “source code” for the work. The GPL defines " "this as the preferred form of the work for making changes in it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, for manuals and textbooks, or more generally any sort of work that " "is meant to teach a subject, we recommend using the GFDL rather than the " "GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLGPLJava\" id=\"LGPLJava\">How does the LGPL work with " "Java?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "<a href=\"/licenses/lgpl-java.html\">See this article for details.</a> It " "works as designed, intended, and expected." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCConsider\" id=\"Consider\">Consider this situation: 1. X " "releases V1 of a project under the GPL. 2. Y contributes to the development " "of V2 with changes and new code based on V1. 3. X wants to convert V2 to a " "non-GPL license. Does X need Y's permission?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. Y was required to release its version under the GNU GPL, as a " "consequence of basing it on X's version V1. Nothing required Y to agree to " "any other license for its code. Therefore, X must get Y's permission before " "releasing that code under another license." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLInProprietarySystem\" id=\"GPLInProprietarySystem\">I'd " "like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do " "this?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You cannot incorporate GPL-covered software in a proprietary system. The " "goal of the GPL is to grant everyone the freedom to copy, redistribute, " "understand, and modify a program. If you could incorporate GPL-covered " "software into a nonfree system, it would have the effect of making the " "GPL-covered software nonfree too." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A system incorporating a GPL-covered program is an extended version of that " "program. The GPL says that any extended version of the program must be " "released under the GPL if it is released at all. This is for two reasons: " "to make sure that users who get the software get the freedom they should " "have, and to encourage people to give back improvements that they make." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, in many cases you can distribute the GPL-covered software alongside " "your proprietary system. To do this validly, you must make sure that the " "free and nonfree programs communicate at arms length, that they are not " "combined in a way that would make them effectively a single program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The difference between this and “incorporating” the GPL-covered " "software is partly a matter of substance and partly form. The substantive " "part is this: if the two programs are combined so that they become " "effectively two parts of one program, then you can't treat them as two " "separate programs. So the GPL has to cover the whole thing." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the two programs remain well separated, like the compiler and the kernel, " "or like an editor and a shell, then you can treat them as two separate " "programs—but you have to do it properly. The issue is simply one of " "form: how you describe what you are doing. Why do we care about this? " "Because we want to make sure the users clearly understand the free status of " "the GPL-covered software in the collection." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If people were to distribute GPL-covered software calling it “part " "of” a system that users know is partly proprietary, users might be " "uncertain of their rights regarding the GPL-covered software. But if they " "know that what they have received is a free program plus another program, " "side by side, their rights will be clear." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLWrapper\" id=\"GPLWrapper\"> I'd like to incorporate " "GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do this by putting a " "“wrapper” module, under a GPL-compatible lax permissive license " "(such as the X11 license) in between the GPL-covered part and the " "proprietary part?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The X11 license is compatible with the GPL, so you can add a module to " "the GPL-covered program and put it under the X11 license. But if you were " "to incorporate them both in a larger program, that whole would include the " "GPL-covered part, so it would have to be licensed <em> as a whole </em> " "under the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The fact that proprietary module A communicates with GPL-covered module C " "only through X11-licensed module B is legally irrelevant; what matters is " "the fact that module C is included in the whole." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLibGCCException\" id=\"LibGCCException\"> Does the " "libstdc++ exception permit dynamic linking?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. The intent of the exception is to allow people to compile proprietary " "software using gcc." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCMoneyGuzzlerInc\" id=\"MoneyGuzzlerInc\">I'd like to modify " "GPL-covered programs and link them with the portability libraries from Money " "Guzzler Inc. I cannot distribute the source code for these libraries, so " "any user who wanted to change these versions would have to obtained those " "libraries separately. Why doesn't the GPL permit this?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "There are two reasons for this." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "First, a general one. If we permitted company A to make a proprietary file, " "and company B to distribute GPL-covered software linked with that file, the " "effect would be to make a hole in the GPL big enough to drive a truck " "through. This would be carte blanche for withholding the source code for " "all sorts of modifications and extensions to GPL-covered software." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Giving all users access to the source code is one of our main goals, so this " "consequence is definitely something we want to avoid." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "More concretely, the versions of the programs linked with the Money Guzzler " "libraries would not really be free software as we understand the " "term—they would not come with full source code that enables users to " "change and recompile the program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLIncompatibleAlone\" id=\"GPLIncompatibleAlone\">If " "license for a module Q has a requirement that's incompatible with the GPL, " "but the requirement applies only when Q is distributed by itself, not when Q " "is included in a larger program, does that make the license GPL-compatible? " "Can I combine or link Q with a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If a program P is released under the GPL that means <strong>any and every " "part of it</strong> can be used under the GPL. If you integrate module Q, " "and release the combined program P+Q under the GPL, that means any part of " "P+Q can be used under the GPL. One part of P+Q is Q. So releasing P+Q " "under the GPL says that Q any part of it can be used under the GPL. Putting " "it in other words, a user who obtains P+Q under the GPL can delete P, so " "that just Q remains, still under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the license of module Q permits you to give permission for that, then it " "is GPL-compatible. Otherwise, it is not GPL-compatible." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the license for Q says in no uncertain terms that you must do certain " "things (not compatible with the GPL) when you redistribute Q on its own, " "then it does not permit you to distribute Q under the GPL. It follows that " "you can't release P+Q under the GPL either. So you cannot link or combine P " "with Q." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCModifiedJustBinary\" id=\"ModifiedJustBinary\">Can I " "release a modified version of a GPL-covered program in binary form " "only?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The whole point of the GPL is that all modified versions must be <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\"> free software</a>—which means, in " "particular, that the source code of the modified version is available to the " "users." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCUnchangedJustBinary\" id=\"UnchangedJustBinary\">I " "downloaded just the binary from the net. If I distribute copies, do I have " "to get the source and distribute that too?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. The general rule is, if you distribute binaries, you must distribute " "the complete corresponding source code too. The exception for the case " "where you received a written offer for source code is quite limited." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributeWithSourceOnInternet\" " "id=\"DistributeWithSourceOnInternet\">I want to distribute binaries via " "physical media without accompanying sources. Can I provide source code by " "FTP instead of by mail order?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You're supposed to provide the source code by mail-order on a physical " "medium, if someone orders it. You are welcome to offer people a way to copy " "the corresponding source code by FTP, in addition to the mail-order option, " "but FTP access to the source is not sufficient to satisfy section 3 of the " "GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "When a user orders the source, you have to make sure to get the source to " "that user. If a particular user can conveniently get the source from you by " "anonymous FTP, fine—that does the job. But not every user can do such " "a download. The rest of the users are just as entitled to get the source " "code from you, which means you must be prepared to send it to them by post." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the FTP access is convenient enough, perhaps no one will choose to " "mail-order a copy. If so, you will never have to ship one. But you cannot " "assume that." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Of course, it's easiest to just send the source with the binary in the first " "place." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you distribute binaries via FTP, <a href=\"#AnonFTPAndSendSources\">you " "should distribute source via FTP.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCRedistributedBinariesGetSource\" " "id=\"RedistributedBinariesGetSource\">My friend got a GPL-covered binary " "with an offer to supply source, and made a copy for me. Can I use the offer " "myself to obtain the source?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, you can. The offer must be open to everyone who has a copy of the " "binary that it accompanies. This is why the GPL says your friend must give " "you a copy of the offer along with a copy of the binary—so you can " "take advantage of it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCSourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\" " "id=\"SourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\">Can I put the binaries on my Internet " "server and put the source on a different Internet site?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL says you must offer access to copy the source code “from the " "same place”; that is, next to the binaries. However, if you make " "arrangements with another site to keep the necessary source code available, " "and put a link or cross-reference to the source code next to the binaries, " "we think that qualifies as “from the same place”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Note, however, that it is not enough to find some site that happens to have " "the appropriate source code today, and tell people to look there. Tomorrow " "that site may have deleted that source code, or simply replaced it with a " "newer version of the same program. Then you would no longer be complying " "with the GPL requirements. To make a reasonable effort to comply, you need " "to make a positive arrangement with the other site, and thus ensure that the " "source will be available there for as long as you keep the binaries " "available." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributeExtendedBinary\" " "id=\"DistributeExtendedBinary\">I want to distribute an extended version of " "a GPL-covered program in binary form. Is it enough to distribute the source " "for the original version?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No, you must supply the source code that corresponds to the binary. " "Corresponding source means the source from which users can rebuild the same " "binary." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Part of the idea of free software is that users should have access to the " "source code for <strong>the programs they use</strong>. Those using your " "version should have access to the source code for your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A major goal of the GPL is to build up the Free World by making sure that " "improvement to a free program are themselves free. If you release an " "improved version of a GPL-covered program, you must release the improved " "source code under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributingSourceIsInconvenient\" " "id=\"DistributingSourceIsInconvenient\">I want to distribute binaries, but " "distributing complete source is inconvenient. Is it ok if I give users the " "diffs from the “standard” version along with the " "binaries?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "This is a well-meaning request, but this method of providing the source " "doesn't really do the job." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A user that wants the source a year from now may be unable to get the proper " "version from another site at that time. The standard distribution site may " "have a newer version, but the same diffs probably won't work with that " "version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "So you need to provide complete sources, not just diffs, with the binaries." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCAnonFTPAndSendSources\" id=\"AnonFTPAndSendSources\">I want " "to make binaries available for anonymous FTP, but send sources only to " "people who order them.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want to distribute binaries by anonymous FTP, you still have to " "provide source through one of the options listed in section 3. This should " "not be hard. You can provide a written offer for source if you want; " "section 3(b) allows this. But if you can find a site to distribute your " "program, you can surely find one that has room for the sources." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "No matter how you distribute the source, the sources you provide must " "correspond exactly to the binaries. In particular, you must make sure they " "are for the same version of the program—not an older version and not a " "newer version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You can make the sources and binaries available on different machines, " "provided they are equally easy to get to, and provided that you have " "information next to the binaries saying where to find the sources." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCHowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\" " "id=\"HowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\">How can I make sure each user " "who downloads the binaries also gets the source?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You don't have to make sure of this. As long as you make the source and " "binaries available so that the users can see what's available and take what " "they want, you have done what is required of you. It is up to the user " "whether to download the source." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Our requirements for redistributors are intended to make sure the users can " "get the source code, not to force users to download the source code even if " "they don't want it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCUnreleasedMods\" id=\"UnreleasedMods\">A company is running " "a modified version of a GPL'ed program on a web site. Does the GPL say they " "must release their modified sources?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL permits anyone to make a modified version and use it without ever " "distributing it to others. What this company is doing is a special case of " "that. Therefore, the company does not have to release the modified sources." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "It is essential for people to have the freedom to make modifications and use " "them privately, without ever publishing those modifications. However, " "putting the program on a server machine for the public to talk to is hardly " "“private” use, so it would be legitimate to require release of " "the source code in that special case. We are thinking about doing something " "like this in GPL version 3, but we don't have precise wording in mind yet." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "In the mean time, you might want to use the <a " "href=\"http://www.affero.org/oagpl.html\">Affero GPL</a> for programs " "designed for network server use." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCInternalDistribution\" id=\"InternalDistribution\">Is " "making and using multiple copies within one organization or company " "“distribution”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No, in that case the organization is just making the copies for itself. As " "a consequence, a company or other organization can develop a modified " "version and install that version through its own facilities, without giving " "the staff permission to release that modified version to outsiders." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when the organization transfers copies to other organizations or " "individuals, that is distribution. In particular, providing copies to " "contractors for use off-site is distribution." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCStolenCopy\" id=\"StolenCopy\"> If someone steals a CD " "containing a version of a GPL-covered program, does the GPL give him the " "right to redistribute that version?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the version has been released elsewhere, then the thief probably does " "have the right to make copies and redistribute them under the GPL, but if he " "is imprisoned for stealing the CD he may have to wait until his release " "before doing so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the version in question is unpublished and considered by a company to be " "its trade secret, then publishing it may be a violation of trade secret law, " "depending on other circumstances. The GPL does not change that. If the " "company tried to release its version and still treat it as a trade secret, " "that would violate the GPL, but if the company hasn't released this version, " "no such violation has occurred." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCTradeSecretRelease\" id=\"TradeSecretRelease\">What if a " "company distributes a copy of some other developers' GPL-covered work to me " "as a trade secret?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The company has violated the GPL and will have to cease distribution of that " "program. Note how this differs from the theft case above; the company does " "not intentionally distribute a copy when a copy is stolen, so in that case " "the company has not violated the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCTradeSecretRelease2\" id=\"TradeSecretRelease2\">What if a " "company distributes a copy of its own GPL-covered work to me as a trade " "secret?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the program distributed does not incorporate anyone else's GPL-covered " "work, then the company is not violating the GPL (see “<a " "href=\"#DeveloperViolate\">Is the developer of a GPL-covered program bound " "by the GPL?</a>” for more information). But it is making two " "contradictory statements about what you can do with that program: that you " "can redistribute it, and that you can't. It would make sense to demand " "clarification of the terms for use of that program before you accept a copy." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\" id=\"WhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\">Why are " "some GNU libraries released under the ordinary GPL rather than the Lesser " "GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Using the Lesser GPL for any particular library constitutes a retreat for " "free software. It means we partially abandon the attempt to defend the " "users' freedom, and some of the requirements to share what is built on top " "of GPL-covered software. In themselves, those are changes for the worse." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Sometimes a localized retreat is a good strategy. Sometimes, using the LGPL " "for a library might lead to wider use of that library, and thus to more " "improvement for it, wider support for free software, and so on. This could " "be good for free software if it happens to a large extent. But how much " "will this happen? We can only speculate." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "It would be nice to try out the LGPL on each library for a while, see " "whether it helps, and change back to the GPL if the LGPL didn't help. But " "this is not feasible. Once we use the LGPL for a particular library, " "changing back would be difficult." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So we decide which license to use for each library on a case-by-case basis. " "There is a <a href=\"/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html\"> long explanation</a> of " "how we judge the question." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWillYouMakeAnException\" " "id=\"WillYouMakeAnException\">Using a certain GNU program under the GPL does " "not fit our project to make proprietary software. Will you make an " "exception for us? It would mean more users of that program.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "Sorry, we don't make such exceptions. It would not be right." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Maximizing the number of users is not our aim. Rather, we are trying to " "give the crucial freedoms to as many users as possible. In general, " "proprietary software projects hinder rather than help the cause of freedom." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "We do occasionally make license exceptions to assist a project which is " "producing free software under a license other than the GPL. However, we " "have to see a good reason why this will advance the cause of free software." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "We also do sometimes change the distribution terms of a package, when that " "seems clearly the right way to serve the cause of free software; but we are " "very cautious about this, so you will have to show us very convincing " "reasons." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCVersionTwoOrLater\" id=\"VersionTwoOrLater\">Why should " "programs say “Version 2 of the GPL or any later " "version”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "From time to time, at intervals of years, we change the GPL—sometimes " "to clarify it, sometimes to permit certain kinds of use not previously " "permitted, and sometimes to tighten up a requirement. (The last change was " "in 1991.) Using this “indirect pointer” in each program makes " "it possible for us to change the distribution terms on the entire collection " "of GNU software, when we update the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If each program lacked the indirect pointer, we would be forced to discuss " "the change at length with numerous copyright holders, which would be a " "virtual impossibility. In practice, the chance of having uniform " "distribution terms for GNU software would be nil." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Suppose a program says “Version 2 of the GPL or any later " "version” and a new version of the GPL is released. If the new GPL " "version gives additional permission, that permission will be available " "immediately to all the users of the program. But if the new GPL version has " "a tighter requirement, it will not restrict use of the current version of " "the program, because it can still be used under GPL version 2. When a " "program says “Version 2 of the GPL or any later version”, users " "will always be permitted to use it, and even change it, according to the " "terms of GPL version 2—even after later versions of the GPL are " "available." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If a tighter requirement in a new version of the GPL need not be obeyed for " "existing software, how is it useful? Once GPL version 3 is available, the " "developers of most GPL-covered programs will release subsequent versions of " "their programs specifying “Version 3 of the GPL or any later " "version”. Then users will have to follow the tighter requirements in " "GPL version 3, for subsequent versions of the program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, developers are not obligated to do this; developers can continue " "allowing use of the previous version of the GPL, if that is their " "preference." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyNotGPLForManuals\" id=\"WhyNotGPLForManuals\">Why don't " "you use the GPL for manuals?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It is possible to use the GPL for a manual, but the GNU Free Documentation " "License (GFDL) is much better for manuals." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL was designed for programs; it contains lots of complex clauses that " "are crucial for programs, but that would be cumbersome and unnecessary for a " "book or manual. For instance, anyone publishing the book on paper would " "have to either include machine-readable “source code” of the " "book along with each printed copy, or provide a written offer to send the " "“source code” later." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Meanwhile, the GFDL has clauses that help publishers of free manuals make a " "profit from selling copies—cover texts, for instance. The special " "rules for Endorsements sections make it possible to use the GFDL for an " "official standard. This would permit modified versions, but they could not " "be labeled as “the standard”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Using the GFDL, we permit changes in the text of a manual that covers its " "technical topic. It is important to be able to change the technical parts, " "because people who change a program ought to change the documentation to " "correspond. The freedom to do this is an ethical imperative." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Our manuals also include sections that state our political position about " "free software. We mark these as “invariant”, so that they " "cannot be changed or removed. The GFDL makes provisions for these " "“invariant sections”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCFontException\" id=\"FontException\">How does the GPL apply " "to fonts?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Font licensing is a complex issue which needs serious consideration. The " "following license exception is experimental but approved for general use. " "We welcome suggestions on this subject—please see this <a " "href=\"http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/20050425novalis\">explanatory " "essay</a> and write to <a " "href=\"mailto:licensing@gnu.org\"><licensing@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "To use this exception, add this text to the license notice of each file in " "the package (to the extent possible), at the end of the text that says the " "file is distributed under the GNU GPL:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "As a special exception, if you create a document which uses this font, and " "embed this font or unaltered portions of this font into the document, this " "font does not by itself cause the resulting document to be covered by the " "GNU General Public License. This exception does not however invalidate any " "other reasons why the document might be covered by the GNU General Public " "License. If you modify this font, you may extend this exception to your " "version of the font, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish " "to do so, delete this exception statement from your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWMS\" id=\"WMS\"> I am writing a website maintenance " "system</a> (called a “<a " "href=\"/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html\">content management " "system</a>” by some), or some other application which generates web " "pages from templates. What license should I use for those templates?</b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Templates are minor enough that it is not worth using copyleft to protect " "them. It is normally harmless to use copyleft on minor works, but templates " "are a special case, because they are combined with data provided by users of " "the application and the combination is distributed. So, we recommend that " "you license your templates under simple permissive terms." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some templates make calls into Javascript functions. Since Javascript is " "often non-trivial, it is worth copylefting. Because the templates will be " "combined with user data, it's possible that template+user data+Javascript " "would be considered one work under copyright law. A line needs to be drawn " "between the Javascript (copylefted), and the user code (usually under " "incompatible terms)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p><a> msgid "<a href=\"/licenses/template-diagram.png\">" msgstr "" #. type: Attribute 'alt' of: <dl><dd><p><a><img> msgid "A diagram of the above content" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "Here's an exception for Javascript code that does this:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "As a special exception to GPL, any HTML file which merely makes function " "calls to this code, and for that purpose includes it by reference shall be " "deemed a separate work for copyright law purposes. In addition, the " "copyright holders of this code give you permission to combine this code with " "free software libraries that are released under the GNU LGPL. You may copy " "and distribute such a system following the terms of the GNU GPL for this " "code and the LGPL for the libraries. If you modify this code, you may " "extend this exception to your version of the code, but you are not obligated " "to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from " "your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCNonFreeTools\" id=\"NonFreeTools\">Can I release a program " "under the GPL which I developed using nonfree tools?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Which programs you used to edit the source code, or to compile it, or study " "it, or record it, usually makes no difference for issues concerning the " "licensing of that source code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, if you link nonfree libraries with the source code, that would be " "an issue you need to deal with. It does not preclude releasing the source " "code under the GPL, but if the libraries don't fit under the “system " "library” exception, you should affix an explicit notice giving " "permission to link your program with them. The FSF can give you advice on " "doing this." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLTranslations\" id=\"GPLTranslations\">Are there " "translations of the GPL into other languages?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It would be useful to have translations of the GPL into languages other than " "English. People have even written translations and sent them to us. But we " "have not dared to approve them as officially valid. That carries a risk so " "great we do not dare accept it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A legal document is in some ways like a program. Translating it is like " "translating a program from one language and operating system to another. " "Only a lawyer skilled in both languages can do it—and even then, there " "is a risk of introducing a bug." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If we were to approve, officially, a translation of the GPL, we would be " "giving everyone permission to do whatever the translation says they can do. " "If it is a completely accurate translation, that is fine. But if there is " "an error in the translation, the results could be a disaster which we could " "not fix." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If a program has a bug, we can release a new version, and eventually the old " "version will more or less disappear. But once we have given everyone " "permission to act according to a particular translation, we have no way of " "taking back that permission if we find, later on, that it had a bug." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Helpful people sometimes offer to do the work of translation for us. If the " "problem were a matter of finding someone to do the work, this would solve " "it. But the actual problem is the risk of error, and offering to do the " "work does not avoid the risk. We could not possibly authorize a translation " "written by a non-lawyer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Therefore, for the time being, we are not approving translations of the GPL " "as globally valid and binding. Instead, we are doing two things:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "" "Referring people to unofficial translations. This means that we permit " "people to write translations of the GPL, but we don't approve them as " "legally valid and binding." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "An unapproved translation has no legal force, and it should say so " "explicitly. It should be marked as follows:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><blockquote><p> msgid "" "This translation of the GPL is informal, and not officially approved by the " "Free Software Foundation as valid. To be completely sure of what is " "permitted, refer to the original GPL (in English)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "But the unapproved translation can serve as a hint for how to understand the " "English GPL. For many users, that is sufficient." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "However, businesses using GNU software in commercial activity, and people " "doing public ftp distribution, should need to check the real English GPL to " "make sure of what it permits." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "Publishing translations valid for a single country only." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "We are considering the idea of publishing translations which are officially " "valid only for one country. This way, if there is a mistake, it will be " "limited to that country, and the damage will not be too great." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "It will still take considerable expertise and effort from a sympathetic and " "capable lawyer to make a translation, so we cannot promise any such " "translations soon." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCInterpreterIncompat\" id=\"InterpreterIncompat\">If a " "programming language interpreter has a license that is incompatible with the " "GPL, can I run GPL-covered programs on it?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "When the interpreter just interprets a language, the answer is yes. The " "interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data; the GPL doesn't " "restrict what tools you process the program with." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when the interpreter is extended to provide “bindings” " "to other facilities (often, but not necessarily, libraries), the interpreted " "program is effectively linked to the facilities it uses through these " "bindings. The JNI or Java Native Interface is an example of such a " "facility; libraries that are accessed in this way are linked dynamically " "with the Java programs that call them." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So if these facilities are released under a GPL-incompatible license, the " "situation is like linking in any other way with a GPL-incompatible library. " "Which implies that:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ol><li> msgid "" "If you are writing code and releasing it under the GPL, you can state an " "explicit exception giving permission to link it with those GPL-incompatible " "facilities." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ol><li> msgid "" "If you wrote and released the program under the GPL, and you designed it " "specifically to work with those facilities, people can take that as an " "implicit exception permitting them to link it with those facilities. But if " "that is what you intend, it is better to say so explicitly." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ol><li> msgid "" "You can't take someone else's GPL-covered code and use it that way, or add " "such exceptions to it. Only the copyright holders of that code can add the " "exception." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhoHasThePower\" id=\"WhoHasThePower\">Who has the power to " "enforce the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Since the GPL is a copyright license, the copyright holders of the software " "are the ones who have the power to enforce the GPL. If you see a violation " "of the GPL, you should inform the developers of the GPL-covered software " "involved. They either are the copyright holders, or are connected with the " "copyright holders. <a href=\"#ReportingViolation\">Learn more about " "reporting GPL violations.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCOOPLang\" id=\"OOPLang\"> In an object-oriented language " "such as Java, if I use a class that is GPL'ed without modifying, and " "subclass it, in what way does the GPL affect the larger program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Subclassing is creating a derivative work. Therefore, the terms of the GPL " "affect the whole program where you create a subclass of a GPL'ed class." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCPortProgramToGPL\" id=\"PortProgramToGPL\">If I port my " "program to GNU/Linux, does that mean I have to release it as Free Software " "under the GPL or some other Free Software license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "In general, the answer is no—this is not a legal requirement. In " "specific, the answer depends on which libraries you want to use and what " "their licenses are. Most system libraries either use the <a " "href=\"/licenses/lgpl.html\">GNU Lesser GPL</a>, or use the GNU GPL plus an " "exception permitting linking the library with anything. These libraries can " "be used in nonfree programs; but in the case of the Lesser GPL, it does have " "some requirements you must follow." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some libraries are released under the GNU GPL alone; you must use a " "GPL-compatible license to use those libraries. But these are normally the " "more specialized libraries, and you would not have had anything much like " "them on another platform, so you probably won't find yourself wanting to use " "these libraries for simple porting." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Of course, your software is not a contribution to our community if it is not " "free, and people who value their freedom will refuse to use it. Only people " "willing to give up their freedom will use your software, which means that it " "will effectively function as an inducement for people to lose their freedom." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you hope some day to look back on your career and feel that it has " "contributed to the growth of a good and free society, you need to make your " "software free." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCompanyGPLCostsMoney\" id=\"CompanyGPLCostsMoney\"> I just " "found out that a company has a copy of a GPL'ed program, and it costs money " "to get it. Aren't they violating the GPL by not making it available on the " "Internet?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL does not require anyone to use the Internet for distribution. " "It also does not require anyone in particular to redistribute the program. " "And (outside of one special case), even if someone does decide to " "redistribute the program sometimes, the GPL doesn't say he has to distribute " "a copy to you in particular, or any other person in particular." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "What the GPL requires is that he must have the freedom to distribute a copy " "to you <em>if he wishes to</em>. Once the copyright holder does distribute " "a copy program to someone, that someone can then redistribute the program to " "you, or to anyone else, as he sees fit." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCReleaseNotOriginal\" id=\"ReleaseNotOriginal\"> Can I " "release a program with a license which says that you can distribute modified " "versions of it under the GPL but you can't distribute the original itself " "under the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. Such a license would be self-contradictory. Let's look at its " "implications for me as a user." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Suppose I start with the original version (call it version A), add some code " "(let's imagine it is 1000 lines), and release that modified version (call it " "B) under the GPL. The GPL says anyone can change version B again and " "release the result under the GPL. So I (or someone else) can delete those " "1000 lines, producing version C which has the same code as version A but is " "under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you try to block that path, by saying explicitly in the license that I'm " "not allowed to reproduce something identical to version A under the GPL by " "deleting those lines from version B, in effect the license now says that I " "can't fully use version B in all the ways that the GPL permits. In other " "words, the license does not in fact allow a user to release a modified " "version such as B under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributeSubsidiary\" id=\"DistributeSubsidiary\"> Does " "moving a copy to a majority-owned, and controlled, subsidiary constitute " "distribution?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Whether moving a copy to or from this subsidiary constitutes 'distribution' " "is a matter to be decided in each case under the copyright law of the " "appropriate jurisdiction. The GPL does not and cannot override local laws. " "US copyright law is not entirely clear on the point, but appears not to " "consider this distribution." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If, in some country, this is considered distribution, and the subsidiary " "must receive the right to redistribute the program, that will not make a " "practical difference. The subsidiary is controlled by the parent company; " "rights or no rights, it won't redistribute the program unless the parent " "company decides to do so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCClickThrough\" id=\"ClickThrough\"> Can software installers " "ask people to click to agree to the GPL? If I get some software under the " "GPL, do I have to agree to anything?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some software packaging systems have a place which requires you to click " "through or otherwise indicate assent to the terms of the GPL. This is " "neither required nor forbidden. With or without a click through, the GPL's " "rules remain the same." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Merely agreeing to the GPL doesn't place any obligations on you. You are " "not required to agree to anything to merely use software which is licensed " "under the GPL. You only have obligations if you modify or distribute the " "software. If it really bothers you to click through the GPL, nothing stops " "you from hacking the GPLed software to bypass this." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLCompatInstaller\" id=\"GPLCompatInstaller\">I would like " "to bundle GPLed software with some sort of installation software. Does that " "installer need to have a GPL-compatible license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "No. The installer and the files it installs are separate works. As a " "result, the terms of the GPL do not apply to the installation software." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't have notes. #. type: Content of: <div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S NOTES*" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a " "href=\"mailto:gnu@gnu.org\"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a " "href=\"/contact/\">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and " "other corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a " "href=\"mailto:webmasters@gnu.org\"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, #. replace it with the translation of these two: # #. We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality #. translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. #. Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard #. to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> # #. <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> # #. <p>For information on coordinating and contributing translations of #. our web pages, see <a #. href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations #. README</a>. #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please see the <a " "href=\"/server/standards/README.translations.html\">Translations README</a> " "for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this " "article." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Copyright © 2001-2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 Free " "Software Foundation, Inc." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This page is licensed under a <a rel=\"license\" " "href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons " "Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't want credits. #. type: Content of: <div><div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S CREDITS*" msgstr "" #. timestamp start #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "Updated:" msgstr ""

# LANGUAGE translation of https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0-faq.html # Copyright (C) YEAR Free Software Foundation, Inc. # This file is distributed under the same license as the original article. # FIRST AUTHOR , YEAR. # #, fuzzy msgid "" msgstr "" "Project-Id-Version: gpl-2.0-faq.html\n" "POT-Creation-Date: 2021-12-29 15:55+0000\n" "PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n" "Last-Translator: FULL NAME \n" "Language-Team: LANGUAGE \n" "Language: \n" "MIME-Version: 1.0\n" "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=CHARSET\n" "Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n" #. type: Content of: msgid "" "Frequently Asked Questions about the GNU GPL v2.0 - GNU Project - Free " "Software Foundation" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <h2> msgid "Frequently Asked Questions about version 2 of the GNU GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This page contains answers to commonly asked questions about the GNU General " "Public License (GPL), version 2. The FAQ for the current version of the GPL " "is <a href=\"/licenses/gpl-faq.html\">here</a>. To learn more about the Free " "Software Foundation's other licenses, please see <a " "href=\"/licenses/licenses.html\">our licenses page</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "After you read this FAQ, <a href=\"/cgi-bin/license-quiz.cgi\">you can test " "your knowledge of Free Software licensing with our quiz</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h3> msgid "Table of Contents" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "" "Basic questions about the GPL, the GNU Project, and the Free Software " "Foundation" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "General understanding of the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Using the GPL for your programs" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Distribution of programs released under the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Using programs released under the GPL when writing other programs" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Combining work with code released under the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><h4> msgid "Questions about violations of the GPL" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatDoesGPLStandFor\" id=\"TOCWhatDoesGPLStandFor\">What does " "“GPL” stand for?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\" " "id=\"TOCDoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\">Does free software mean using the " "GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\" " "id=\"TOCDoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\">Does all GNU software " "use the GNU GPL as its license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\" " "id=\"TOCDoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\">Does using the GPL for " "a program make it GNU software?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLOtherThanSoftware\" id=\"TOCGPLOtherThanSoftware\">Can I use " "the GPL for something other than software?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyNotGPLForManuals\" id=\"TOCWhyNotGPLForManuals\">Why don't you " "use the GPL for manuals?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLTranslations\" id=\"TOCGPLTranslations\">Are there " "translations of the GPL into other languages?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\" id=\"TOCWhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\">Why are " "some GNU libraries released under the ordinary GPL rather than the Lesser " "GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#AssignCopyright\" id=\"TOCAssignCopyright\">Why does the FSF " "require that contributors to FSF-copyrighted programs assign copyright to " "the FSF? If I hold copyright on a GPL'ed program, should I do this, too? If " "so, how?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ModifyGPL\" id=\"TOCModifyGPL\">Can I modify the GPL and make a " "modified license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"TOCWhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\">Why does " "the GPL permit users to publish their modified versions?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\" " "id=\"TOCGPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\">Does the GPL require that source code " "of modified versions be posted to the public?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\" " "id=\"TOCGPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\"> Can I have a GPL-covered program and " "an unrelated nonfree program on the same computer?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CanIDemandACopy\" id=\"TOCCanIDemandACopy\">If I know someone has " "a copy of a GPL-covered program, can I demand he give me a copy?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\" " "id=\"TOCWhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\">What does this “written offer " "valid for any third party” mean? Does that mean everyone in the world " "can get the source to any GPL'ed program no matter what?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#TheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"TOCTheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\">The GPL says that modified versions, if " "released, must be “licensed … to all third parties.” Who " "are these third parties?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowMoney\">Does the " "GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\" " "id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\"> Does the GPL allow me to charge a fee " "for downloading the program from my distribution site?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\"> " "Does the GPL allow me to require that anyone who receives the software must " "pay me a fee and/or notify me?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\" " "id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\">If I distribute GPL'd " "software for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public " "without a charge?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowNDA\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowNDA\">Does the GPL " "allow me to distribute a copy under a nondisclosure agreement?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\" id=\"TOCDoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\">Does the " "GPL allow me to distribute a modified or beta version under a nondisclosure " "agreement?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DevelopChangesUnderNDA\" id=\"TOCDevelopChangesUnderNDA\">Does " "the GPL allow me to develop a modified version under a nondisclosure " "agreement?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#RequiredToClaimCopyright\" id=\"TOCRequiredToClaimCopyright\">Am " "I required to claim a copyright on my modifications to a GPL-covered " "program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CombinePublicDomainWithGPL\" " "id=\"TOCCombinePublicDomainWithGPL\">If a program combines public-domain " "code with GPL-covered code, can I take the public-domain part and use it as " "public domain code?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#IWantCredit\" id=\"TOCIWantCredit\">I want to get credit for my " "work. I want people to know what I wrote. Can I still get credit if I use " "the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatIsCompatible\" id=\"TOCWhatIsCompatible\">What does it mean " "to say that two licenses are “compatible”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatDoesCompatMean\" id=\"TOCWhatDoesCompatMean\">What does it " "mean to say a license is “compatible with the GPL”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#OrigBSD\" id=\"TOCOrigBSD\">Why is the original BSD license " "incompatible with the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLCommercially\" id=\"TOCGPLCommercially\">If I use a piece of " "software that has been obtained under the GNU GPL, am I allowed to modify " "the original code into a new program, then distribute and sell that new " "program commercially?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LGPLJava\" id=\"TOCLGPLJava\">How does the LGPL work with " "Java?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CouldYouHelpApplyGPL\" id=\"TOCCouldYouHelpApplyGPL\">Could you " "give me step by step instructions on how to apply the GPL to my program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyUseGPL\" id=\"TOCWhyUseGPL\">Why should I use the GNU GPL " "rather than other free software licenses?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhyMustIInclude\" id=\"TOCWhyMustIInclude\">Why does the GPL " "require including a copy of the GPL with every copy of the program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatIfWorkIsShort\" id=\"TOCWhatIfWorkIsShort\">What if the work " "is not much longer than the license itself?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLOmitPreamble\" id=\"TOCGPLOmitPreamble\">Can I omit the " "preamble of the GPL, or the instructions for how to use it on your own " "programs, to save space?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#HowIGetCopyright\" id=\"TOCHowIGetCopyright\">How do I get a " "copyright on my program in order to release it under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatIfSchool\" id=\"TOCWhatIfSchool\">What if my school might " "want to make my program into its own proprietary software product?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\" id=\"TOCReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\">I would " "like to release a program I wrote under the GNU GPL, but I would like to use " "the same code in nonfree programs.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CanDeveloperThirdParty\" id=\"TOCCanDeveloperThirdParty\">Can the " "developer of a program who distributed it under the GPL later license it to " "another party for exclusive use?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLUSGov\" id=\"TOCGPLUSGov\">Can the US Government release a " "program under the GNU GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#VersionTwoOrLater\" id=\"TOCVersionTwoOrLater\">Why should " "programs say “Version 2 of the GPL or any later version”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#FontException\" id=\"TOCFontException\">How does the GPL apply to " "fonts?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WMS\" id=\"TOCWMS\">What license should I use for website " "maintenance system templates?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#NonFreeTools\" id=\"TOCNonFreeTools\">Can I release a program " "under the GPL which I developed using nonfree tools?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ModifiedJustBinary\" id=\"TOCModifiedJustBinary\">Can I release a " "modified version of a GPL-covered program in binary form only?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#UnchangedJustBinary\" id=\"TOCUnchangedJustBinary\">I downloaded " "just the binary from the net. If I distribute copies, do I have to get the " "source and distribute that too?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributeWithSourceOnInternet\" " "id=\"TOCDistributeWithSourceOnInternet\">I want to distribute binaries via " "physical media without accompanying sources. Can I provide source code by " "FTP instead of by mail order?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#RedistributedBinariesGetSource\" " "id=\"TOCRedistributedBinariesGetSource\">My friend got a GPL-covered binary " "with an offer to supply source, and made a copy for me. Can I use the offer " "to obtain the source?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#SourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\" " "id=\"TOCSourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\">Can I put the binaries on my " "Internet server and put the source on a different Internet site?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributeExtendedBinary\" id=\"TOCDistributeExtendedBinary\">I " "want to distribute an extended version of a GPL-covered program in binary " "form. Is it enough to distribute the source for the original version?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributingSourceIsInconvenient\" " "id=\"TOCDistributingSourceIsInconvenient\">I want to distribute binaries, " "but distributing complete source is inconvenient. Is it ok if I give users " "the diffs from the “standard” version along with the " "binaries?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#AnonFTPAndSendSources\" id=\"TOCAnonFTPAndSendSources\">I want to " "make binaries available for anonymous FTP, but send sources only to people " "who order them.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#HowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\" " "id=\"TOCHowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\">How can I make sure each " "user who downloads the binaries also gets the source?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ReleaseNotOriginal\" id=\"TOCReleaseNotOriginal\"> Can I release " "a program with a license which says that you can distribute modified " "versions of it under the GPL but you can't distribute the original itself " "under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#UnreleasedMods\" id=\"TOCUnreleasedMods\"> A company is running a " "modified version of a GPL'ed program on a web site. Does the GPL say they " "must release their modified sources?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#InternalDistribution\" id=\"TOCInternalDistribution\"> Is use " "within one organization or company “distribution”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#StolenCopy\" id=\"TOCStolenCopy\"> If someone steals a CD " "containing a version of a GPL-covered program, does the GPL give him the " "right to redistribute that version?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#TradeSecretRelease\" id=\"TOCTradeSecretRelease\"> What if a " "company distributes a copy of some other developers' GPL-covered work to me " "as a trade secret?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#TradeSecretRelease2\" id=\"TOCTradeSecretRelease2\"> What if a " "company distributes a copy of its own GPL-covered work to me as a trade " "secret?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DistributeSubsidiary\" id=\"TOCDistributeSubsidiary\"> Does " "moving a copy to a majority-owned, and controlled, subsidiary constitute " "distribution?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ClickThrough\" id=\"TOCClickThrough\"> Can software installers " "ask people to click to agree to the GPL? If I get some software under the " "GPL, do I have to agree to anything?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLCompatInstaller\" id=\"TOCGPLCompatInstaller\">I would like to " "bundle GPLed software with some sort of installation software. Does that " "installer need to have a GPL-compatible license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CanIUseGPLToolsForNF\" id=\"TOCCanIUseGPLToolsForNF\">Can I use " "GPL-covered editors such as GNU Emacs to develop nonfree programs? Can I use " "GPL-covered tools such as GCC to compile them?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLOutput\" id=\"TOCGPLOutput\">Is there some way that I can GPL " "the output people get from use of my program? For example, if my program is " "used to develop hardware designs, can I require that these designs must be " "free?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhatCaseIsOutputGPL\" id=\"TOCWhatCaseIsOutputGPL\">In what cases " "is the output of a GPL program covered by the GPL too?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#PortProgramToGPL\" id=\"TOCPortProgramToGPL\">If I port my " "program to GNU/Linux, does that mean I have to release it as Free Software " "under the GPL or some other Free Software license?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LibGCCException\" id=\"TOCLibGCCException\">Does the libstdc++ " "exception permit dynamic linking?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#MereAggregation\" id=\"TOCMereAggregation\">What is the " "difference between “mere aggregation” and “combining two " "modules into one program”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLFairUse\" id=\"TOCGPLFairUse\">Do I have “fair " "use” rights in using the source code of a GPL-covered program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLUSGovAdd\" id=\"TOCGPLUSGovAdd\">Can the US Government release " "improvements to a GPL-covered program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#IfLibraryIsGPL\" id=\"TOCIfLibraryIsGPL\">If a library is " "released under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean that any program which " "uses it has to be under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LinkingWithGPL\" id=\"TOCLinkingWithGPL\">You have a GPL'ed " "program that I'd like to link with my code to build a proprietary program. " "Does the fact that I link with your program mean I have to GPL my " "program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#SwitchToLGPL\" id=\"TOCSwitchToLGPL\">If so, is there any chance " "I could get a license of your program under the Lesser GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WillYouMakeAnException\" id=\"TOCWillYouMakeAnException\">Using a " "certain GNU program under the GPL does not fit our project to make " "proprietary software. Will you make an exception for us? It would mean more " "users of that program.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#IfInterpreterIsGPL\" id=\"TOCIfInterpreterIsGPL\">If a " "programming language interpreter is released under the GPL, does that mean " "programs written to be interpreted by it must be under GPL-compatible " "licenses?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#InterpreterIncompat\" id=\"TOCInterpreterIncompat\">If a " "programming language interpreter has a license that is incompatible with the " "GPL, can I run GPL-covered programs on it?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLModuleLicense\" id=\"TOCGPLModuleLicense\">If I add a module " "to a GPL-covered program, do I have to use the GPL as the license for my " "module?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLPlugins\" id=\"TOCGPLPlugins\"> When are a program and its " "plug-ins considered a single combined program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLAndPlugins\" id=\"TOCGPLAndPlugins\">If a program released " "under the GPL uses plug-ins, what are the requirements for the licenses of a " "plug-in?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLPluginsInNF\" id=\"TOCGPLPluginsInNF\">Can I apply the GPL " "when writing a plug-in for a nonfree program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#NFUseGPLPlugins\" id=\"TOCNFUseGPLPlugins\">Can I release a " "nonfree program that's designed to load a GPL-covered plug-in?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLInProprietarySystem\" id=\"TOCGPLInProprietarySystem\">I'd " "like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do " "this?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLWrapper\" id=\"TOCGPLWrapper\">I'd like to incorporate " "GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do this by putting a " "“wrapper” module, under a GPL-compatible lax permissive license " "(such as the X11 license) in between the GPL-covered part and the " "proprietary part?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#FSWithNFLibs\" id=\"TOCFSWithNFLibs\"> Can I write free software " "that uses nonfree libraries?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLIncompatibleLibs\" id=\"TOCGPLIncompatibleLibs\"> What legal " "issues come up if I use GPL-incompatible libraries with GPL software?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WindowsRuntimeAndGPL\" id=\"TOCWindowsRuntimeAndGPL\">I'm writing " "a Windows application with Microsoft Visual C++ and I will be releasing it " "under the GPL. Is dynamically linking my program with the Visual C++ " "run-time library permitted under the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#MoneyGuzzlerInc\" id=\"TOCMoneyGuzzlerInc\">I'd like to modify " "GPL-covered programs and link them with the portability libraries from Money " "Guzzler Inc. I cannot distribute the source code for these libraries, so " "any user who wanted to change these versions would have to obtain those " "libraries separately. Why doesn't the GPL permit this?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#GPLIncompatibleAlone\" id=\"TOCGPLIncompatibleAlone\">If license " "for a module Q has a requirement that's incompatible with the GPL, but the " "requirement applies only when Q is distributed by itself, not when Q is " "included in a larger program, does that make the license GPL-compatible? Can " "I combine or link Q with a GPL-covered program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#OOPLang\" id=\"TOCOOPLang\"> In an object-oriented language such " "as Java, if I use a class that is GPL'ed without modifying, and subclass it, " "in what way does the GPL affect the larger program?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#LinkingOverControlledInterface\" " "id=\"TOCLinkingOverControlledInterface\">How can I allow linking of " "proprietary modules with my GPL-covered library under a controlled interface " "only?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#Consider\" id=\"TOCConsider\">Consider this situation: 1. X " "releases V1 of a project under the GPL. 2. Y contributes to the development " "of V2 with changes and new code based on V1. 3. X wants to convert V2 to a " "non-GPL license. Does X need Y's permission?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ManyDifferentLicenses\" id=\"TOCManyDifferentLicenses\">I have " "written an application that links with many different components, that have " "different licenses. I am very confused as to what licensing requirements " "are placed on my program. Can you please tell me what licenses I may " "use?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#ReportingViolation\" id=\"TOCReportingViolation\">What should I " "do if I discover a possible violation of the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#WhoHasThePower\" id=\"TOCWhoHasThePower\">Who has the power to " "enforce the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#HeardOtherLicense\" id=\"TOCHeardOtherLicense\">I heard that " "someone got a copy of a GPL'ed program under another license. Is this " "possible?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#DeveloperViolate\" id=\"TOCDeveloperViolate\">Is the developer of " "a GPL-covered program bound by the GPL? Could the developer's actions ever " "be a violation of the GPL?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><ul><li> msgid "" "<a href=\"#CompanyGPLCostsMoney\" id=\"TOCCompanyGPLCostsMoney\"> I just " "found out that a company has a copy of a GPL'ed program, and it costs money " "to get it. Aren't they violating the GPL by not making it available on the " "Internet?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatDoesGPLStandFor\" id=\"WhatDoesGPLStandFor\">What does " "“GPL” stand for?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "“GPL” stands for “General Public License”. The most " "widespread such license is the GNU General Public License, or GNU GPL for " "short. This can be further shortened to “GPL”, when it is " "understood that the GNU GPL is the one intended." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\" " "id=\"DoesFreeSoftwareMeanUsingTheGPL\"> Does free software mean using the " "GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Not at all—there are many other free software licenses. We have an <a " "href=\"/licenses/license-list.html\"> incomplete list</a>. Any license that " "provides the user <a href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\">certain specific " "freedoms</a> is a free software license." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyUseGPL\" id=\"WhyUseGPL\"> Why should I use the GNU GPL " "rather than other free software licenses?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Using the GNU GPL will require that all the <a " "href=\"/philosophy/pragmatic.html\">released improved versions be free " "software</a>. This means you can avoid the risk of having to compete with a " "proprietary modified version of your own work. However, in some special " "situations it can be better to use a <a " "href=\"/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html\"> more permissive license</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\" " "id=\"DoesAllGNUSoftwareUseTheGNUGPLAsItsLicense\"> Does all GNU software use " "the GNU GPL as its license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Most GNU software packages use the GNU GPL, but there are a few GNU programs " "(and parts of programs) that use looser licenses, such as the Lesser GPL. " "When we do this, it is a matter of <a href=\"/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html\"> " "strategy</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\" " "id=\"DoesUsingTheGPLForAProgramMakeItGNUSoftware\"> Does using the GPL for a " "program make it GNU software?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Anyone can release a program under the GNU GPL but that does not make it a " "GNU package." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Making the program a GNU software package means explicitly contributing to " "the GNU Project. This happens when the program's developers and the GNU " "Project agree to do it. If you are interested in contributing a program to " "the GNU Project, please write to <a " "href=\"mailto:maintainers@gnu.org\"><maintainers@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCReportingViolation\" id=\"ReportingViolation\"> What should " "I do if I discover a possible violation of the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You should <a href=\"/licenses/gpl-violation.html\">report it</a>. First, " "check the facts as best you can. Then tell the publisher or copyright " "holder of the specific GPL-covered program. If that is the Free Software " "Foundation, write to <a " "href=\"mailto:license-violation@gnu.org\"><license-violation@gnu.org></a>. " "Otherwise, the program's maintainer may be the copyright holder, or else " "could tell you how to contact the copyright holder, so report it to the " "maintainer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"WhyDoesTheGPLPermitUsersToPublishTheirModifiedVersions\"> Why does the " "GPL permit users to publish their modified versions?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "A crucial aspect of free software is that users are free to cooperate. It " "is absolutely essential to permit users who wish to help each other to share " "their bug fixes and improvements with other users." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some have proposed alternatives to the GPL that require modified versions to " "go through the original author. As long as the original author keeps up " "with the need for maintenance, this may work well in practice, but if the " "author stops (more or less) to do something else or does not attend to all " "the users' needs, this scheme falls down. Aside from the practical " "problems, this scheme does not allow users to help each other." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Sometimes control over modified versions is proposed as a means of " "preventing confusion between various versions made by users. In our " "experience, this confusion is not a major problem. Many versions of Emacs " "have been made outside the GNU Project, but users can tell them apart. The " "GPL requires the maker of a version to place his or her name on it, to " "distinguish it from other versions and to protect the reputations of other " "maintainers." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\" " "id=\"GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\"> Does the GPL require that source code " "of modified versions be posted to the public?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL does not require you to release your modified version. You are free " "to make modifications and use them privately, without ever releasing them. " "This applies to organizations (including companies), too; an organization " "can make a modified version and use it internally without ever releasing it " "outside the organization." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "But <em>if</em> you release the modified version to the public in some way, " "the GPL requires you to make the modified source code available to the " "program's users, under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Thus, the GPL gives permission to release the modified program in certain " "ways, and not in other ways; but the decision of whether to release it is up " "to you." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\" " "id=\"GPLAndNonfreeOnSameMachine\"> Can I have a GPL-covered program and an " "unrelated nonfree program on the same computer?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. The “mere aggregation” clause in the GPL makes this " "permission explicit, but that only reinforces what we believe would be true " "anyway." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCanIDemandACopy\" id=\"CanIDemandACopy\">If I know someone " "has a copy of a GPL-covered program, can I demand he give me a copy?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL gives him permission to make and redistribute copies of the " "program <em>if and when he chooses to do so</em>. He also has the right not " "to redistribute the program, when that is what he chooses." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\" " "id=\"WhatDoesWrittenOfferValid\"> What does this “written offer valid " "for any third party” mean? Does that mean everyone in the world can " "get the source to any GPL'ed program no matter what?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you choose to provide source through a written offer, then anybody who " "requests the source from you is entitled to receive it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you commercially distribute binaries not accompanied with source code, " "the GPL says you must provide a written offer to distribute the source code " "later. When users non-commercially redistribute the binaries they received " "from you, they must pass along a copy of this written offer. This means " "that people who did not get the binaries directly from you can still receive " "copies of the source code, along with the written offer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The reason we require the offer to be valid for any third party is so that " "people who receive the binaries indirectly in that way can order the source " "code from you." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCTheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\" " "id=\"TheGPLSaysModifiedVersions\">The GPL says that modified versions, if " "released, must be “licensed … to all third parties.” Who " "are these third parties?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Section 2 says that modified versions you distribute must be licensed to all " "third parties under the GPL. “All third parties” means " "absolutely everyone—but this does not require you to " "<strong>do</strong> anything physically for them. It only means they have a " "license from you, under the GPL, for your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCRequiredToClaimCopyright\" " "id=\"RequiredToClaimCopyright\">Am I required to claim a copyright on my " "modifications to a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You are not required to claim a copyright on your changes. In most " "countries, however, that happens automatically by default, so you need to " "place your changes explicitly in the public domain if you do not want them " "to be copyrighted." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Whether you claim a copyright on your changes or not, either way you must " "release the modified version, as a whole, under the GPL. (<a " "href=\"#GPLRequireSourcePostedPublic\">if you release your modified version " "at all</a>)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCombinePublicDomainWithGPL\" " "id=\"CombinePublicDomainWithGPL\">If a program combines public-domain code " "with GPL-covered code, can I take the public-domain part and use it as " "public domain code?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can do that, if you can figure out which part is the public domain part " "and separate it from the rest. If code was put in the public domain by its " "developer, it is in the public domain no matter where it has been." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowMoney\" id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowMoney\"> Does " "the GPL allow me to sell copies of the program for money?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, the GPL allows everyone to do this. The <a " "href=\"/philosophy/selling.html\"> right to sell copies </a> is part of the " "definition of free software. Except in one special situation, there is no " "limit on what price you can charge. (The one exception is the required " "written offer to provide source code that must accompany binary-only " "release.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\" " "id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowDownloadFee\"> Does the GPL allow me to charge a fee for " "downloading the program from my distribution site?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. You can charge any fee you wish for distributing a copy of the " "program. If you distribute binaries by download, you must provide " "“equivalent access” to download the source—therefore, the " "fee to download source may not be greater than the fee to download the " "binary." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\" " "id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowRequireFee\"> Does the GPL allow me to require that " "anyone who receives the software must pay me a fee and/or notify me?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. In fact, a requirement like that would make the program nonfree. If " "people have to pay when they get a copy of a program, or if they have to " "notify anyone in particular, then the program is not free. See the <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\"> definition of free software</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL is a free software license, and therefore it permits people to use " "and even redistribute the software without being required to pay anyone a " "fee for doing so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You <em>can</em> charge people a fee to <a " "href=\"#DoesTheGPLAllowMoney\">get a copy <em>from you</em></a>. You can't " "require people to pay you when they get a copy <em>from someone else</em>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\" " "id=\"DoesTheGPLRequireAvailabilityToPublic\">If I distribute GPL'd software " "for a fee, am I required to also make it available to the public without a " "charge?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. However, if someone pays your fee and gets a copy, the GPL gives them " "the freedom to release it to the public, with or without a fee. For " "example, someone could pay your fee, and then put her copy on a web site for " "the general public." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowNDA\" id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowNDA\"> Does the " "GPL allow me to distribute copies under a nondisclosure agreement?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL says that anyone who receives a copy from you has the right to " "redistribute copies, modified or not. You are not allowed to distribute the " "work on any more restrictive basis." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If someone asks you to sign an NDA for receiving GPL-covered software " "copyrighted by the FSF, please inform us immediately by writing to <a " "href=\"mailto:license-violation@fsf.org\">license-violation@fsf.org</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the violation involves GPL-covered code that has some other copyright " "holder, please inform that copyright holder, just as you would for any other " "kind of violation of the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\" id=\"DoesTheGPLAllowModNDA\"> Does " "the GPL allow me to distribute a modified or beta version under a " "nondisclosure agreement?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL says that your modified versions must carry all the freedoms " "stated in the GPL. Thus, anyone who receives a copy of your version from " "you has the right to redistribute copies (modified or not) of that version. " "You may not distribute any version of the work on a more restrictive basis." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDevelopChangesUnderNDA\" id=\"DevelopChangesUnderNDA\"> " "Does the GPL allow me to develop a modified version under a nondisclosure " "agreement?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. For instance, you can accept a contract to develop changes and agree " "not to release <em>your changes</em> until the client says ok. This is " "permitted because in this case no GPL-covered code is being distributed " "under an NDA." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You can also release your changes to the client under the GPL, but agree not " "to release them to anyone else unless the client says ok. In this case, " "too, no GPL-covered code is being distributed under an NDA, or under any " "additional restrictions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL would give the client the right to redistribute your version. In " "this scenario, the client will probably choose not to exercise that right, " "but does <em>have</em> the right." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCIWantCredit\" id=\"IWantCredit\">I want to get credit for " "my work. I want people to know what I wrote. Can I still get credit if I " "use the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can certainly get credit for the work. Part of releasing a program " "under the GPL is writing a copyright notice in your own name (assuming you " "are the copyright holder). The GPL requires all copies to carry an " "appropriate copyright notice." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyMustIInclude\" id=\"WhyMustIInclude\">Why does the GPL " "require including a copy of the GPL with every copy of the program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Including a copy of the license with the work is vital so that everyone who " "gets a copy of the program can know what his rights are." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "It might be tempting to include a URL that refers to the license, instead of " "the license itself. But you cannot be sure that the URL will still be " "valid, five years or ten years from now. Twenty years from now, URLs as we " "know them today may no longer exist." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The only way to make sure that people who have copies of the program will " "continue to be able to see the license, despite all the changes that will " "happen in the network, is to include a copy of the license in the program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatIfWorkIsShort\" id=\"WhatIfWorkIsShort\">What if the " "work is not much longer than the license itself?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If a single program is that short, you may as well use a simple " "all-permissive license for it, rather than the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLOmitPreamble\" id=\"GPLOmitPreamble\"> Can I omit the " "preamble of the GPL, or the instructions for how to use it on your own " "programs, to save space?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The preamble and instructions are integral parts of the GNU GPL and may not " "be omitted. In fact, the GPL is copyrighted, and its license permits only " "verbatim copying of the entire GPL. (You can use the legal terms to make <a " "href=\"#ModifyGPL\">another license</a> but it won't be the GNU GPL.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The preamble and instructions add up to some 5000 characters, less than 1/3 " "of the GPL's total size. They will not make a substantial fractional change " "in the size of a software package unless the package itself is quite small. " "In that case, you may as well use a simple all-permissive license rather " "than the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatIsCompatible\" id=\"WhatIsCompatible\">What does it " "mean to say that two licenses are “compatible”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "In order to combine two programs (or substantial parts of them) into a " "larger work, you need to have permission to use both programs in this way. " "If the two programs' licenses permit this, they are compatible. If there is " "no way to satisfy both licenses at once, they are incompatible." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "For some licenses, the way in which the combination is made may affect " "whether they are compatible—for instance, they may allow linking two " "modules together, but not allow merging their code into one module." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Just to install two separate programs in the same system, it is not " "necessary that their licenses be compatible, because this does not combine " "them into a larger work." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatDoesCompatMean\" id=\"WhatDoesCompatMean\">What does it " "mean to say a license is “compatible with the GPL”.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It means that the other license and the GNU GPL are compatible; you can " "combine code released under the other license with code released under the " "GNU GPL in one larger program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL permits such a combination provided it is released under the GNU " "GPL. The other license is compatible with the GPL if it permits this too." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCFSWithNFLibs\" id=\"FSWithNFLibs\">Can I write free " "software that uses nonfree libraries?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If you do this, your program won't be fully usable in a free environment. If " "your program depends on a nonfree library to do a certain job, it cannot do " "that job in the Free World. If it depends on a nonfree library to run at " "all, it cannot be part of a free operating system such as GNU; it is " "entirely off limits to the Free World." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So please consider: can you find a way to get the job done without using " "this library? Can you write a free replacement for that library?" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the program is already written using the nonfree library, perhaps it is " "too late to change the decision. You may as well release the program as it " "stands, rather than not release it. But please mention in the README that " "the need for the nonfree library is a drawback, and suggest the task of " "changing the program so that it does the same job without the nonfree " "library. Please suggest that anyone who thinks of doing substantial further " "work on the program first free it from dependence on the nonfree library." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Note that there may also be legal issues with combining certain nonfree " "libraries with GPL-covered Free Software. Please see <a " "href=\"#GPLIncompatibleLibs\">the question on GPL software with " "GPL-incompatible libraries</a> for more information." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLIncompatibleLibs\" id=\"GPLIncompatibleLibs\">What legal " "issues come up if I use GPL-incompatible libraries with GPL " "software?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the libraries that you link with fall within the following exception in " "the GPL:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not " "include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary " "form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the " "operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself " "accompanies the executable." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "then you don't have to do anything special to use them; the requirement to " "distribute source code for the whole program does not include those " "libraries, even if you distribute a linked executable containing them. " "Thus, if the libraries you need come with major parts of a proprietary " "operating system, the GPL says people can link your program with them " "without any conditions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want your program to link against a library not covered by that " "exception, you need to add your own exception, wholly outside of the " "GPL. This copyright notice and license notice give permission to link with " "the program FOO:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "Copyright (C) yyyy <name of copyright holder>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it " "under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free " "Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) " "any later version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT " "ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or " "FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for " "more details." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with " "this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 51 " "Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "Linking ABC statically or dynamically with other modules is making a " "combined work based on ABC. Thus, the terms and conditions of the GNU " "General Public License cover the whole combination." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "In addition, as a special exception, the copyright holders of ABC give you " "permission to combine ABC program with free software programs or libraries " "that are released under the GNU LGPL and with code included in the standard " "release of DEF under the XYZ license (or modified versions of such code, " "with unchanged license). You may copy and distribute such a system " "following the terms of the GNU GPL for ABC and the licenses of the other " "code concerned, provided that you include the source code of that other code " "when and as the GNU GPL requires distribution of source code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "Note that people who make modified versions of ABC are not obligated to " "grant this special exception for their modified versions; it is their choice " "whether to do so. The GNU General Public License gives permission to " "release a modified version without this exception; this exception also makes " "it possible to release a modified version which carries forward this " "exception." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "You should put this text in each file to which the exception applies." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Only the copyright holders for the program can legally authorize this " "exception. If you wrote the whole program yourself, then assuming your " "employer or school does not claim the copyright, you are the copyright " "holder—so you can authorize the exception. But if you want to use " "parts of other GPL-covered programs by other authors in your code, you " "cannot authorize the exception for them. You have to get the approval of the " "copyright holders of those programs." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "When other people modify the program, they do not have to make the same " "exception for their code—it is their choice whether to do so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the libraries you intend to link with are nonfree, please also see <a " "href=\"#FSWithNFLibs\">the section on writing Free Software which uses " "nonfree libraries</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCHowIGetCopyright\" id=\"HowIGetCopyright\">How do I get a " "copyright on my program in order to release it under the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Under the Berne Convention, everything written is automatically copyrighted " "from whenever it is put in fixed form. So you don't have to do anything to " "“get” the copyright on what you write—as long as nobody " "else can claim to own your work." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, registering the copyright in the US is a very good idea. It will " "give you more clout in dealing with an infringer in the US." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The case when someone else might possibly claim the copyright is if you are " "an employee or student; then the employer or the school might claim you did " "the job for them and that the copyright belongs to them. Whether they would " "have a valid claim would depend on circumstances such as the laws of the " "place where you live, and on your employment contract and what sort of work " "you do. It is best to consult a lawyer if there is any possible doubt." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you think that the employer or school might have a claim, you can resolve " "the problem clearly by getting a copyright disclaimer signed by a suitably " "authorized officer of the company or school. (Your immediate boss or a " "professor is usually NOT authorized to sign such a disclaimer.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatIfSchool\" id=\"WhatIfSchool\">What if my school might " "want to make my program into its own proprietary software product?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Many universities nowadays try to raise funds by restricting the use of the " "knowledge and information they develop, in effect behaving little different " "from commercial businesses. (See “The Kept University”, " "Atlantic Monthly, March 2000, for a general discussion of this problem and " "its effects.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you see any chance that your school might refuse to allow your program to " "be released as free software, it is best to raise the issue at the earliest " "possible stage. The closer the program is to working usefully, the more " "temptation the administration might feel to take it from you and finish it " "without you. At an earlier stage, you have more leverage." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So we recommend that you approach them when the program is only half-done, " "saying, “If you will agree to releasing this as free software, I will " "finish it.” Don't think of this as a bluff. To prevail, you must have " "the courage to say, “My program will have liberty, or never be " "born.”" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCouldYouHelpApplyGPL\" id=\"CouldYouHelpApplyGPL\">Could " "you give me step by step instructions on how to apply the GPL to my " "program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "See the page of <a href=\"/licenses/gpl-howto.html\"> GPL instructions</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCHeardOtherLicense\" id=\"HeardOtherLicense\">I heard that " "someone got a copy of a GPL'ed program under another license. Is this " "possible?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GNU GPL does not give users permission to attach other licenses to the " "program. But the copyright holder for a program can release it under " "several different licenses in parallel. One of them may be the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The license that comes in your copy, assuming it was put in by the copyright " "holder and that you got the copy legitimately, is the license that applies " "to your copy." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\" id=\"ReleaseUnderGPLAndNF\">I would " "like to release a program I wrote under the GNU GPL, but I would like to use " "the same code in nonfree programs.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "To release a nonfree program is always ethically tainted, but legally there " "is no obstacle to your doing this. If you are the copyright holder for the " "code, you can release it under various different non-exclusive licenses at " "various times." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDeveloperViolate\" id=\"DeveloperViolate\">Is the developer " "of a GPL-covered program bound by the GPL? Could the developer's actions " "ever be a violation of the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Strictly speaking, the GPL is a license from the developer for others to " "use, distribute and change the program. The developer itself is not bound " "by it, so no matter what the developer does, this is not a " "“violation” of the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, if the developer does something that would violate the GPL if done " "by someone else, the developer will surely lose moral standing in the " "community." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCanDeveloperThirdParty\" id=\"CanDeveloperThirdParty\">Can " "the developer of a program who distributed it under the GPL later license it " "to another party for exclusive use?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No, because the public already has the right to use the program under the " "GPL, and this right cannot be withdrawn." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCanIUseGPLToolsForNF\" id=\"CanIUseGPLToolsForNF\">Can I " "use GPL-covered editors such as GNU Emacs to develop nonfree programs? Can I " "use GPL-covered tools such as GCC to compile them?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, because the copyright on the editors and tools does not cover the code " "you write. Using them does not place any restrictions, legally, on the " "license you use for your code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some programs copy parts of themselves into the output for technical " "reasons—for example, Bison copies a standard parser program into its " "output file. In such cases, the copied text in the output is covered by the " "same license that covers it in the source code. Meanwhile, the part of the " "output which is derived from the program's input inherits the copyright " "status of the input." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "As it happens, Bison can also be used to develop nonfree programs. This is " "because we decided to explicitly permit the use of the Bison standard parser " "program in Bison output files without restriction. We made the decision " "because there were other tools comparable to Bison which already permitted " "use for nonfree programs." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLFairUse\" id=\"GPLFairUse\">Do I have “fair " "use” rights in using the source code of a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, you do. “Fair use” is use that is allowed without any " "special permission. Since you don't need the developers' permission for " "such use, you can do it regardless of what the developers said about " "it—in the license or elsewhere, whether that license be the GNU GPL or " "any other free software license." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Note, however, that there is no world-wide principle of fair use; what kinds " "of use are considered “fair” varies from country to country." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLUSGov\" id=\"GPLUSGov\">Can the US Government release a " "program under the GNU GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the program is written by US federal government employees in the course " "of their employment, it is in the public domain, which means it is not " "copyrighted. Since the GNU GPL is based on copyright, such a program cannot " "be released under the GNU GPL. (It can still be <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\"> free software</a>, however; a public " "domain program is free.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when a US federal government agency uses contractors to develop " "software, that is a different situation. The contract can require the " "contractor to release it under the GNU GPL. (GNU Ada was developed in this " "way.) Or the contract can assign the copyright to the government agency, " "which can then release the software under the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLUSGovAdd\" id=\"GPLUSGovAdd\">Can the US Government " "release improvements to a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. If the improvements are written by US government employees in the " "course of their employment, then the improvements are in the public domain. " "However, the improved version, as a whole, is still covered by the GNU GPL. " "There is no problem in this situation." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the US government uses contractors to do the job, then the improvements " "themselves can be GPL-covered." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLOutput\" id=\"GPLOutput\">Is there some way that I can " "GPL the output people get from use of my program? For example, if my program " "is used to develop hardware designs, can I require that these designs must " "be free?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "In general this is legally impossible; copyright law does not give you any " "say in the use of the output people make from their data using your " "program. If the user uses your program to enter or convert his own data, " "the copyright on the output belongs to him, not you. More generally, when a " "program translates its input into some other form, the copyright status of " "the output inherits that of the input it was generated from." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So the only way you have a say in the use of the output is if substantial " "parts of the output are copied (more or less) from text in your program. " "For instance, part of the output of Bison (see above) would be covered by " "the GNU GPL, if we had not made an exception in this specific case." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You could artificially make a program copy certain text into its output even " "if there is no technical reason to do so. But if that copied text serves no " "practical purpose, the user could simply delete that text from the output " "and use only the rest. Then he would not have to obey the conditions on " "redistribution of the copied text." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhatCaseIsOutputGPL\" id=\"WhatCaseIsOutputGPL\">In what " "cases is the output of a GPL program covered by the GPL too?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "Only when the program copies part of itself into the output." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLModuleLicense\" id=\"GPLModuleLicense\">If I add a " "module to a GPL-covered program, do I have to use the GPL as the license for " "my module?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL says that the whole combined program has to be released under the " "GPL. So your module has to be available for use under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "But you can give additional permission for the use of your code. You can, " "if you wish, release your module under a license which is more lax than the " "GPL but compatible with the GPL. The <a " "href=\"/licenses/license-list.html\">license list page</a> gives a partial " "list of GPL-compatible licenses." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCIfLibraryIsGPL\" id=\"IfLibraryIsGPL\">If a library is " "released under the GPL (not the LGPL), does that mean that any program which " "uses it has to be under the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Yes, because the program actually links to the library. As such, the terms " "of the GPL apply to the entire combination. The software modules that link " "with the library may be under various GPL compatible licenses, but the work " "as a whole must be licensed under the GPL. See also: <a " "href=\"#WhatDoesCompatMean\">What does it mean to say a license is " "“compatible with the GPL”?</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCIfInterpreterIsGPL\" id=\"IfInterpreterIsGPL\">If a " "programming language interpreter is released under the GPL, does that mean " "programs written to be interpreted by it must be under GPL-compatible " "licenses?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "When the interpreter just interprets a language, the answer is no. The " "interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data; a free software " "license like the GPL, based on copyright law, cannot limit what data you use " "the interpreter on. You can run it on any data (interpreted program), any " "way you like, and there are no requirements about licensing that data to " "anyone." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when the interpreter is extended to provide “bindings” " "to other facilities (often, but not necessarily, libraries), the interpreted " "program is effectively linked to the facilities it uses through these " "bindings. So if these facilities are released under the GPL, the interpreted " "program that uses them must be released in a GPL-compatible way. The JNI or " "Java Native Interface is an example of such a binding mechanism; libraries " "that are accessed in this way are linked dynamically with the Java programs " "that call them. These libraries are also linked with the interpreter. If " "the interpreter is linked statically with these libraries, or if it is " "designed to <a href=\"#GPLPluginsInNF\"> link dynamically with these " "specific libraries</a>, then it too needs to be released in a GPL-compatible " "way." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Another similar and very common case is to provide libraries with the " "interpreter which are themselves interpreted. For instance, Perl comes with " "many Perl modules, and a Java implementation comes with many Java classes. " "These libraries and the programs that call them are always dynamically " "linked together." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A consequence is that if you choose to use GPL'd Perl modules or Java " "classes in your program, you must release the program in a GPL-compatible " "way, regardless of the license used in the Perl or Java interpreter that the " "combined Perl or Java program will run on." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWindowsRuntimeAndGPL\" id=\"WindowsRuntimeAndGPL\">I'm " "writing a Windows application with Microsoft Visual C++ (or Visual Basic) " "and I will be releasing it under the GPL. Is dynamically linking my program " "with the Visual C++ (or Visual Basic) run-time library permitted under the " "GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL permits this because that run-time library normally accompanies the " "compiler or interpreter you are using. So it falls under the exception in " "GPL section 3." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "That doesn't mean it is a good idea to write the program so that it only " "runs on Windows. Doing so results in a program that is free software but <a " "href=\"/philosophy/java-trap.html\">“trapped”</a> (in this case, " "trapped by Windows instead of by Java, but the effect is the same). " "(Historical note: As of December 2006 Sun is in the middle of <a " "href=\"http://www.fsf.org/news/fsf-welcomes-gpl-java.html\">rereleasing its " "Java platform under GNU GPL</a>.)" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCOrigBSD\" id=\"OrigBSD\">Why is the original BSD license " "incompatible with the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Because it imposes a specific requirement that is not in the GPL; namely, " "the requirement on advertisements of the program. The GPL states:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of " "the rights granted herein." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The advertising clause provides just such a further restriction, and thus is " "GPL-incompatible." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The revised BSD license does not have the advertising clause, which " "eliminates the problem." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLPlugins\" id=\"GPLPlugins\"> When are a program and its " "plug-ins considered a single combined program? </a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It depends on how the main program invokes its plug-ins. If the main program " "uses fork and exec to invoke plug-ins, and they establish intimate " "communication by sharing complex data structures, or shipping complex data " "structures back and forth, that can make them one single combined program. A " "main program that uses simple fork and exec to invoke plug-ins and does not " "establish intimate communication between them results in the plug-ins being " "a separate program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the main program dynamically links plug-ins, and they make function calls " "to each other and share data structures, we believe they form a single " "combined program, which must be treated as an extension of both the main " "program and the plug-ins. If the main program dynamically links plug-ins, " "but the communication between them is limited to invoking the " "‘main’ function of the plug-in with some options and waiting for " "it to return, that is a borderline case." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Using shared memory to communicate with complex data structures is pretty " "much equivalent to dynamic linking." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLAndPlugins\" id=\"GPLAndPlugins\">If a program released " "under the GPL uses plug-ins, what are the requirements for the licenses of a " "plug-in?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Please see this question <a href=\"#GPLPlugins\">for determining when " "plug-ins and a main program are considered a single combined program and " "when they are considered separate works</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the main program and the plugins are a single combined program then this " "means you must license the plug-in under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free " "software license and distribute it with source code in a GPL-compliant " "way. A main program that is separate from its plug-ins makes no requirements " "for the plug-ins." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLPluginsInNF\" id=\"GPLPluginsInNF\">Can I apply the GPL " "when writing a plug-in for a nonfree program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Please see this question <a href=\"#GPLPlugins\">for determining when " "plug-ins and a main program are considered a single combined program and " "when they are considered separate programs</a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If they form a single combined program this means that combination of the " "GPL-covered plug-in with the nonfree main program would violate the " "GPL. However, you can resolve that legal problem by adding an exception to " "your plug-in's license, giving permission to link it with the nonfree main " "program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "See also the question <a href=\"#FSWithNFLibs\">I am writing free software " "that uses a nonfree library.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCNFUseGPLPlugins\" id=\"NFUseGPLPlugins\">Can I release a " "nonfree program that's designed to load a GPL-covered plug-in?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If they form a single combined program then the main program must be " "released under the GPL or a GPL-compatible free software license, and the " "terms of the GPL must be followed when the main program is distributed for " "use with these plug-ins." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, if they are separate works then the license of the plug-in makes no " "requirements about the main program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLinkingWithGPL\" id=\"LinkingWithGPL\">You have a GPL'ed " "program that I'd like to link with my code to build a proprietary program. " "Does the fact that I link with your program mean I have to GPL my " "program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "Yes." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCSwitchToLGPL\" id=\"SwitchToLGPL\">If so, is there any " "chance I could get a license of your program under the Lesser GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can ask, but most authors will stand firm and say no. The idea of the " "GPL is that if you want to include our code in your program, your program " "must also be free software. It is supposed to put pressure on you to " "release your program in a way that makes it part of our community." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "You always have the legal alternative of not using our code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLinkingOverControlledInterface\" " "id=\"LinkingOverControlledInterface\">How can I allow linking of proprietary " "modules with my GPL-covered library under a controlled interface " "only?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Add this text to the license notice of each file in the package, at the end " "of the text that says the file is distributed under the GNU GPL:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "In addition, as a special exception, the copyright holders of ABC give you " "permission to combine ABC program with free software programs or libraries " "that are released under the GNU LGPL and with independent modules that " "communicate with ABC solely through the ABCDEF interface. You may copy and " "distribute such a system following the terms of the GNU GPL for ABC and the " "licenses of the other code concerned, provided that you include the source " "code of that other code when and as the GNU GPL requires distribution of " "source code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCManyDifferentLicenses\" id=\"ManyDifferentLicenses\">I have " "written an application that links with many different components, that have " "different licenses. I am very confused as to what licensing requirements " "are placed on my program. Can you please tell me what licenses I may " "use?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "To answer this question, we would need to see a list of each component that " "your program uses, the license of that component, and a brief (a few " "sentences for each should suffice) describing how your library uses that " "component. Two examples would be:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "" "To make my software work, it must be linked to the FOO library, which is " "available under the Lesser GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "" "My software makes a system call (with a command line that I built) to run " "the BAR program, which is licensed under “the GPL, with a special " "exception allowing for linking with QUUX”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCMereAggregation\" id=\"MereAggregation\">What is the " "difference between “mere aggregation” and “combining two " "modules into one program”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Mere aggregation of two programs means putting them side by side on the same " "CD-ROM or hard disk. We use this term in the case where they are separate " "programs, not parts of a single program. In this case, if one of the " "programs is covered by the GPL, it has no effect on the other program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Combining two modules means connecting them together so that they form a " "single larger program. If either part is covered by the GPL, the whole " "combination must also be released under the GPL—if you can't, or " "won't, do that, you may not combine them." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "What constitutes combining two parts into one program? This is a legal " "question, which ultimately judges will decide. We believe that a proper " "criterion depends both on the mechanism of communication (exec, pipes, rpc, " "function calls within a shared address space, etc.) and the semantics of " "the communication (what kinds of information are interchanged)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the modules are included in the same executable file, they are definitely " "combined in one program. If modules are designed to run linked together in " "a shared address space, that almost surely means combining them into one " "program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "By contrast, pipes, sockets and command-line arguments are communication " "mechanisms normally used between two separate programs. So when they are " "used for communication, the modules normally are separate programs. But if " "the semantics of the communication are intimate enough, exchanging complex " "internal data structures, that too could be a basis to consider the two " "parts as combined into a larger program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCAssignCopyright\" id=\"AssignCopyright\">Why does the FSF " "require that contributors to FSF-copyrighted programs assign copyright to " "the FSF? If I hold copyright on a GPL'ed program, should I do this, too? If " "so, how?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Our lawyers have told us that to be in the <a " "href=\"/licenses/why-assign.html\">best position to enforce the GPL</a> in " "court against violators, we should keep the copyright status of the program " "as simple as possible. We do this by asking each contributor to either " "assign the copyright on his contribution to the FSF, or disclaim copyright " "on it and thus put it in the public domain." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "We also ask individual contributors to get copyright disclaimers from their " "employers (if any) so that we can be sure those employers won't claim to own " "the contributions." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Of course, if all the contributors put their code in the public domain, " "there is no copyright with which to enforce the GPL. So we encourage people " "to assign copyright on large code contributions, and only put small changes " "in the public domain." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want to make an effort to enforce the GPL on your program, it is " "probably a good idea for you to follow a similar policy. Please contact <a " "href=\"mailto:licensing@gnu.org\"><licensing@gnu.org></a> if you want " "more information." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCModifyGPL\" id=\"ModifyGPL\">Can I modify the GPL and make " "a modified license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can use the GPL terms (possibly modified) in another license provided " "that you call your license by another name and do not include the GPL " "preamble, and provided you modify the instructions-for-use at the end enough " "to make it clearly different in wording and not mention GNU (though the " "actual procedure you describe may be similar)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want to use our preamble in a modified license, please write to <a " "href=\"mailto:licensing@gnu.org\"><licensing@gnu.org></a> for " "permission. For this purpose we would want to check the actual license " "requirements to see if we approve of them." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Although we will not raise legal objections to your making a modified " "license in this way, we hope you will think twice and not do it. Such a " "modified license is almost certainly <a href=\"#WhatIsCompatible\"> " "incompatible with the GNU GPL</a>, and that incompatibility blocks useful " "combinations of modules. The mere proliferation of different free software " "licenses is a burden in and of itself." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLCommercially\" id=\"GPLCommercially\">If I use a piece " "of software that has been obtained under the GNU GPL, am I allowed to modify " "the original code into a new program, then distribute and sell that new " "program commercially?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You are allowed to sell copies of the modified program commercially, but " "only under the terms of the GNU GPL. Thus, for instance, you must make the " "source code available to the users of the program as described in the GPL, " "and they must be allowed to redistribute and modify it as described in the " "GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "These requirements are the condition for including the GPL-covered code you " "received in a program of your own." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLOtherThanSoftware\" id=\"GPLOtherThanSoftware\">Can I " "use the GPL for something other than software?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You can apply the GPL to any kind of work, as long as it is clear what " "constitutes the “source code” for the work. The GPL defines " "this as the preferred form of the work for making changes in it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, for manuals and textbooks, or more generally any sort of work that " "is meant to teach a subject, we recommend using the GFDL rather than the " "GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLGPLJava\" id=\"LGPLJava\">How does the LGPL work with " "Java?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "<a href=\"/licenses/lgpl-java.html\">See this article for details.</a> It " "works as designed, intended, and expected." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCConsider\" id=\"Consider\">Consider this situation: 1. X " "releases V1 of a project under the GPL. 2. Y contributes to the development " "of V2 with changes and new code based on V1. 3. X wants to convert V2 to a " "non-GPL license. Does X need Y's permission?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. Y was required to release its version under the GNU GPL, as a " "consequence of basing it on X's version V1. Nothing required Y to agree to " "any other license for its code. Therefore, X must get Y's permission before " "releasing that code under another license." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLInProprietarySystem\" id=\"GPLInProprietarySystem\">I'd " "like to incorporate GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do " "this?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You cannot incorporate GPL-covered software in a proprietary system. The " "goal of the GPL is to grant everyone the freedom to copy, redistribute, " "understand, and modify a program. If you could incorporate GPL-covered " "software into a nonfree system, it would have the effect of making the " "GPL-covered software nonfree too." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A system incorporating a GPL-covered program is an extended version of that " "program. The GPL says that any extended version of the program must be " "released under the GPL if it is released at all. This is for two reasons: " "to make sure that users who get the software get the freedom they should " "have, and to encourage people to give back improvements that they make." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, in many cases you can distribute the GPL-covered software alongside " "your proprietary system. To do this validly, you must make sure that the " "free and nonfree programs communicate at arms length, that they are not " "combined in a way that would make them effectively a single program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The difference between this and “incorporating” the GPL-covered " "software is partly a matter of substance and partly form. The substantive " "part is this: if the two programs are combined so that they become " "effectively two parts of one program, then you can't treat them as two " "separate programs. So the GPL has to cover the whole thing." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the two programs remain well separated, like the compiler and the kernel, " "or like an editor and a shell, then you can treat them as two separate " "programs—but you have to do it properly. The issue is simply one of " "form: how you describe what you are doing. Why do we care about this? " "Because we want to make sure the users clearly understand the free status of " "the GPL-covered software in the collection." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If people were to distribute GPL-covered software calling it “part " "of” a system that users know is partly proprietary, users might be " "uncertain of their rights regarding the GPL-covered software. But if they " "know that what they have received is a free program plus another program, " "side by side, their rights will be clear." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLWrapper\" id=\"GPLWrapper\"> I'd like to incorporate " "GPL-covered software in my proprietary system. Can I do this by putting a " "“wrapper” module, under a GPL-compatible lax permissive license " "(such as the X11 license) in between the GPL-covered part and the " "proprietary part?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The X11 license is compatible with the GPL, so you can add a module to " "the GPL-covered program and put it under the X11 license. But if you were " "to incorporate them both in a larger program, that whole would include the " "GPL-covered part, so it would have to be licensed <em> as a whole </em> " "under the GNU GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The fact that proprietary module A communicates with GPL-covered module C " "only through X11-licensed module B is legally irrelevant; what matters is " "the fact that module C is included in the whole." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCLibGCCException\" id=\"LibGCCException\"> Does the " "libstdc++ exception permit dynamic linking?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. The intent of the exception is to allow people to compile proprietary " "software using gcc." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCMoneyGuzzlerInc\" id=\"MoneyGuzzlerInc\">I'd like to modify " "GPL-covered programs and link them with the portability libraries from Money " "Guzzler Inc. I cannot distribute the source code for these libraries, so " "any user who wanted to change these versions would have to obtained those " "libraries separately. Why doesn't the GPL permit this?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "There are two reasons for this." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "First, a general one. If we permitted company A to make a proprietary file, " "and company B to distribute GPL-covered software linked with that file, the " "effect would be to make a hole in the GPL big enough to drive a truck " "through. This would be carte blanche for withholding the source code for " "all sorts of modifications and extensions to GPL-covered software." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Giving all users access to the source code is one of our main goals, so this " "consequence is definitely something we want to avoid." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "More concretely, the versions of the programs linked with the Money Guzzler " "libraries would not really be free software as we understand the " "term—they would not come with full source code that enables users to " "change and recompile the program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLIncompatibleAlone\" id=\"GPLIncompatibleAlone\">If " "license for a module Q has a requirement that's incompatible with the GPL, " "but the requirement applies only when Q is distributed by itself, not when Q " "is included in a larger program, does that make the license GPL-compatible? " "Can I combine or link Q with a GPL-covered program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If a program P is released under the GPL that means <strong>any and every " "part of it</strong> can be used under the GPL. If you integrate module Q, " "and release the combined program P+Q under the GPL, that means any part of " "P+Q can be used under the GPL. One part of P+Q is Q. So releasing P+Q " "under the GPL says that Q any part of it can be used under the GPL. Putting " "it in other words, a user who obtains P+Q under the GPL can delete P, so " "that just Q remains, still under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the license of module Q permits you to give permission for that, then it " "is GPL-compatible. Otherwise, it is not GPL-compatible." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the license for Q says in no uncertain terms that you must do certain " "things (not compatible with the GPL) when you redistribute Q on its own, " "then it does not permit you to distribute Q under the GPL. It follows that " "you can't release P+Q under the GPL either. So you cannot link or combine P " "with Q." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCModifiedJustBinary\" id=\"ModifiedJustBinary\">Can I " "release a modified version of a GPL-covered program in binary form " "only?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The whole point of the GPL is that all modified versions must be <a " "href=\"/philosophy/free-sw.html\"> free software</a>—which means, in " "particular, that the source code of the modified version is available to the " "users." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCUnchangedJustBinary\" id=\"UnchangedJustBinary\">I " "downloaded just the binary from the net. If I distribute copies, do I have " "to get the source and distribute that too?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes. The general rule is, if you distribute binaries, you must distribute " "the complete corresponding source code too. The exception for the case " "where you received a written offer for source code is quite limited." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributeWithSourceOnInternet\" " "id=\"DistributeWithSourceOnInternet\">I want to distribute binaries via " "physical media without accompanying sources. Can I provide source code by " "FTP instead of by mail order?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You're supposed to provide the source code by mail-order on a physical " "medium, if someone orders it. You are welcome to offer people a way to copy " "the corresponding source code by FTP, in addition to the mail-order option, " "but FTP access to the source is not sufficient to satisfy section 3 of the " "GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "When a user orders the source, you have to make sure to get the source to " "that user. If a particular user can conveniently get the source from you by " "anonymous FTP, fine—that does the job. But not every user can do such " "a download. The rest of the users are just as entitled to get the source " "code from you, which means you must be prepared to send it to them by post." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the FTP access is convenient enough, perhaps no one will choose to " "mail-order a copy. If so, you will never have to ship one. But you cannot " "assume that." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Of course, it's easiest to just send the source with the binary in the first " "place." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you distribute binaries via FTP, <a href=\"#AnonFTPAndSendSources\">you " "should distribute source via FTP.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCRedistributedBinariesGetSource\" " "id=\"RedistributedBinariesGetSource\">My friend got a GPL-covered binary " "with an offer to supply source, and made a copy for me. Can I use the offer " "myself to obtain the source?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Yes, you can. The offer must be open to everyone who has a copy of the " "binary that it accompanies. This is why the GPL says your friend must give " "you a copy of the offer along with a copy of the binary—so you can " "take advantage of it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCSourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\" " "id=\"SourceAndBinaryOnDifferentSites\">Can I put the binaries on my Internet " "server and put the source on a different Internet site?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL says you must offer access to copy the source code “from the " "same place”; that is, next to the binaries. However, if you make " "arrangements with another site to keep the necessary source code available, " "and put a link or cross-reference to the source code next to the binaries, " "we think that qualifies as “from the same place”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Note, however, that it is not enough to find some site that happens to have " "the appropriate source code today, and tell people to look there. Tomorrow " "that site may have deleted that source code, or simply replaced it with a " "newer version of the same program. Then you would no longer be complying " "with the GPL requirements. To make a reasonable effort to comply, you need " "to make a positive arrangement with the other site, and thus ensure that the " "source will be available there for as long as you keep the binaries " "available." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributeExtendedBinary\" " "id=\"DistributeExtendedBinary\">I want to distribute an extended version of " "a GPL-covered program in binary form. Is it enough to distribute the source " "for the original version?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No, you must supply the source code that corresponds to the binary. " "Corresponding source means the source from which users can rebuild the same " "binary." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Part of the idea of free software is that users should have access to the " "source code for <strong>the programs they use</strong>. Those using your " "version should have access to the source code for your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A major goal of the GPL is to build up the Free World by making sure that " "improvement to a free program are themselves free. If you release an " "improved version of a GPL-covered program, you must release the improved " "source code under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributingSourceIsInconvenient\" " "id=\"DistributingSourceIsInconvenient\">I want to distribute binaries, but " "distributing complete source is inconvenient. Is it ok if I give users the " "diffs from the “standard” version along with the " "binaries?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "This is a well-meaning request, but this method of providing the source " "doesn't really do the job." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A user that wants the source a year from now may be unable to get the proper " "version from another site at that time. The standard distribution site may " "have a newer version, but the same diffs probably won't work with that " "version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "So you need to provide complete sources, not just diffs, with the binaries." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCAnonFTPAndSendSources\" id=\"AnonFTPAndSendSources\">I want " "to make binaries available for anonymous FTP, but send sources only to " "people who order them.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you want to distribute binaries by anonymous FTP, you still have to " "provide source through one of the options listed in section 3. This should " "not be hard. You can provide a written offer for source if you want; " "section 3(b) allows this. But if you can find a site to distribute your " "program, you can surely find one that has room for the sources." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "No matter how you distribute the source, the sources you provide must " "correspond exactly to the binaries. In particular, you must make sure they " "are for the same version of the program—not an older version and not a " "newer version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "You can make the sources and binaries available on different machines, " "provided they are equally easy to get to, and provided that you have " "information next to the binaries saying where to find the sources." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCHowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\" " "id=\"HowCanIMakeSureEachDownloadGetsSource\">How can I make sure each user " "who downloads the binaries also gets the source?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "You don't have to make sure of this. As long as you make the source and " "binaries available so that the users can see what's available and take what " "they want, you have done what is required of you. It is up to the user " "whether to download the source." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Our requirements for redistributors are intended to make sure the users can " "get the source code, not to force users to download the source code even if " "they don't want it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCUnreleasedMods\" id=\"UnreleasedMods\">A company is running " "a modified version of a GPL'ed program on a web site. Does the GPL say they " "must release their modified sources?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The GPL permits anyone to make a modified version and use it without ever " "distributing it to others. What this company is doing is a special case of " "that. Therefore, the company does not have to release the modified sources." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "It is essential for people to have the freedom to make modifications and use " "them privately, without ever publishing those modifications. However, " "putting the program on a server machine for the public to talk to is hardly " "“private” use, so it would be legitimate to require release of " "the source code in that special case. We are thinking about doing something " "like this in GPL version 3, but we don't have precise wording in mind yet." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "In the mean time, you might want to use the <a " "href=\"http://www.affero.org/oagpl.html\">Affero GPL</a> for programs " "designed for network server use." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCInternalDistribution\" id=\"InternalDistribution\">Is " "making and using multiple copies within one organization or company " "“distribution”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No, in that case the organization is just making the copies for itself. As " "a consequence, a company or other organization can develop a modified " "version and install that version through its own facilities, without giving " "the staff permission to release that modified version to outsiders." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when the organization transfers copies to other organizations or " "individuals, that is distribution. In particular, providing copies to " "contractors for use off-site is distribution." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCStolenCopy\" id=\"StolenCopy\"> If someone steals a CD " "containing a version of a GPL-covered program, does the GPL give him the " "right to redistribute that version?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the version has been released elsewhere, then the thief probably does " "have the right to make copies and redistribute them under the GPL, but if he " "is imprisoned for stealing the CD he may have to wait until his release " "before doing so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If the version in question is unpublished and considered by a company to be " "its trade secret, then publishing it may be a violation of trade secret law, " "depending on other circumstances. The GPL does not change that. If the " "company tried to release its version and still treat it as a trade secret, " "that would violate the GPL, but if the company hasn't released this version, " "no such violation has occurred." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCTradeSecretRelease\" id=\"TradeSecretRelease\">What if a " "company distributes a copy of some other developers' GPL-covered work to me " "as a trade secret?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "The company has violated the GPL and will have to cease distribution of that " "program. Note how this differs from the theft case above; the company does " "not intentionally distribute a copy when a copy is stolen, so in that case " "the company has not violated the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCTradeSecretRelease2\" id=\"TradeSecretRelease2\">What if a " "company distributes a copy of its own GPL-covered work to me as a trade " "secret?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "If the program distributed does not incorporate anyone else's GPL-covered " "work, then the company is not violating the GPL (see “<a " "href=\"#DeveloperViolate\">Is the developer of a GPL-covered program bound " "by the GPL?</a>” for more information). But it is making two " "contradictory statements about what you can do with that program: that you " "can redistribute it, and that you can't. It would make sense to demand " "clarification of the terms for use of that program before you accept a copy." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\" id=\"WhySomeGPLAndNotLGPL\">Why are " "some GNU libraries released under the ordinary GPL rather than the Lesser " "GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Using the Lesser GPL for any particular library constitutes a retreat for " "free software. It means we partially abandon the attempt to defend the " "users' freedom, and some of the requirements to share what is built on top " "of GPL-covered software. In themselves, those are changes for the worse." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Sometimes a localized retreat is a good strategy. Sometimes, using the LGPL " "for a library might lead to wider use of that library, and thus to more " "improvement for it, wider support for free software, and so on. This could " "be good for free software if it happens to a large extent. But how much " "will this happen? We can only speculate." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "It would be nice to try out the LGPL on each library for a while, see " "whether it helps, and change back to the GPL if the LGPL didn't help. But " "this is not feasible. Once we use the LGPL for a particular library, " "changing back would be difficult." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So we decide which license to use for each library on a case-by-case basis. " "There is a <a href=\"/licenses/why-not-lgpl.html\"> long explanation</a> of " "how we judge the question." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWillYouMakeAnException\" " "id=\"WillYouMakeAnException\">Using a certain GNU program under the GPL does " "not fit our project to make proprietary software. Will you make an " "exception for us? It would mean more users of that program.</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "Sorry, we don't make such exceptions. It would not be right." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Maximizing the number of users is not our aim. Rather, we are trying to " "give the crucial freedoms to as many users as possible. In general, " "proprietary software projects hinder rather than help the cause of freedom." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "We do occasionally make license exceptions to assist a project which is " "producing free software under a license other than the GPL. However, we " "have to see a good reason why this will advance the cause of free software." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "We also do sometimes change the distribution terms of a package, when that " "seems clearly the right way to serve the cause of free software; but we are " "very cautious about this, so you will have to show us very convincing " "reasons." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCVersionTwoOrLater\" id=\"VersionTwoOrLater\">Why should " "programs say “Version 2 of the GPL or any later " "version”?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "From time to time, at intervals of years, we change the GPL—sometimes " "to clarify it, sometimes to permit certain kinds of use not previously " "permitted, and sometimes to tighten up a requirement. (The last change was " "in 1991.) Using this “indirect pointer” in each program makes " "it possible for us to change the distribution terms on the entire collection " "of GNU software, when we update the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If each program lacked the indirect pointer, we would be forced to discuss " "the change at length with numerous copyright holders, which would be a " "virtual impossibility. In practice, the chance of having uniform " "distribution terms for GNU software would be nil." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Suppose a program says “Version 2 of the GPL or any later " "version” and a new version of the GPL is released. If the new GPL " "version gives additional permission, that permission will be available " "immediately to all the users of the program. But if the new GPL version has " "a tighter requirement, it will not restrict use of the current version of " "the program, because it can still be used under GPL version 2. When a " "program says “Version 2 of the GPL or any later version”, users " "will always be permitted to use it, and even change it, according to the " "terms of GPL version 2—even after later versions of the GPL are " "available." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If a tighter requirement in a new version of the GPL need not be obeyed for " "existing software, how is it useful? Once GPL version 3 is available, the " "developers of most GPL-covered programs will release subsequent versions of " "their programs specifying “Version 3 of the GPL or any later " "version”. Then users will have to follow the tighter requirements in " "GPL version 3, for subsequent versions of the program." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, developers are not obligated to do this; developers can continue " "allowing use of the previous version of the GPL, if that is their " "preference." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhyNotGPLForManuals\" id=\"WhyNotGPLForManuals\">Why don't " "you use the GPL for manuals?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It is possible to use the GPL for a manual, but the GNU Free Documentation " "License (GFDL) is much better for manuals." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "The GPL was designed for programs; it contains lots of complex clauses that " "are crucial for programs, but that would be cumbersome and unnecessary for a " "book or manual. For instance, anyone publishing the book on paper would " "have to either include machine-readable “source code” of the " "book along with each printed copy, or provide a written offer to send the " "“source code” later." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Meanwhile, the GFDL has clauses that help publishers of free manuals make a " "profit from selling copies—cover texts, for instance. The special " "rules for Endorsements sections make it possible to use the GFDL for an " "official standard. This would permit modified versions, but they could not " "be labeled as “the standard”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Using the GFDL, we permit changes in the text of a manual that covers its " "technical topic. It is important to be able to change the technical parts, " "because people who change a program ought to change the documentation to " "correspond. The freedom to do this is an ethical imperative." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Our manuals also include sections that state our political position about " "free software. We mark these as “invariant”, so that they " "cannot be changed or removed. The GFDL makes provisions for these " "“invariant sections”." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCFontException\" id=\"FontException\">How does the GPL apply " "to fonts?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Font licensing is a complex issue which needs serious consideration. The " "following license exception is experimental but approved for general use. " "We welcome suggestions on this subject—please see this <a " "href=\"http://www.fsf.org/blogs/licensing/20050425novalis\">explanatory " "essay</a> and write to <a " "href=\"mailto:licensing@gnu.org\"><licensing@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "To use this exception, add this text to the license notice of each file in " "the package (to the extent possible), at the end of the text that says the " "file is distributed under the GNU GPL:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "As a special exception, if you create a document which uses this font, and " "embed this font or unaltered portions of this font into the document, this " "font does not by itself cause the resulting document to be covered by the " "GNU General Public License. This exception does not however invalidate any " "other reasons why the document might be covered by the GNU General Public " "License. If you modify this font, you may extend this exception to your " "version of the font, but you are not obligated to do so. If you do not wish " "to do so, delete this exception statement from your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWMS\" id=\"WMS\"> I am writing a website maintenance " "system</a> (called a “<a " "href=\"/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html\">content management " "system</a>” by some), or some other application which generates web " "pages from templates. What license should I use for those templates?</b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Templates are minor enough that it is not worth using copyleft to protect " "them. It is normally harmless to use copyleft on minor works, but templates " "are a special case, because they are combined with data provided by users of " "the application and the combination is distributed. So, we recommend that " "you license your templates under simple permissive terms." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some templates make calls into Javascript functions. Since Javascript is " "often non-trivial, it is worth copylefting. Because the templates will be " "combined with user data, it's possible that template+user data+Javascript " "would be considered one work under copyright law. A line needs to be drawn " "between the Javascript (copylefted), and the user code (usually under " "incompatible terms)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p><a> msgid "<a href=\"/licenses/template-diagram.png\">" msgstr "" #. type: Attribute 'alt' of: <dl><dd><p><a><img> msgid "A diagram of the above content" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "Here's an exception for Javascript code that does this:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><blockquote><p> msgid "" "As a special exception to GPL, any HTML file which merely makes function " "calls to this code, and for that purpose includes it by reference shall be " "deemed a separate work for copyright law purposes. In addition, the " "copyright holders of this code give you permission to combine this code with " "free software libraries that are released under the GNU LGPL. You may copy " "and distribute such a system following the terms of the GNU GPL for this " "code and the LGPL for the libraries. If you modify this code, you may " "extend this exception to your version of the code, but you are not obligated " "to do so. If you do not wish to do so, delete this exception statement from " "your version." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCNonFreeTools\" id=\"NonFreeTools\">Can I release a program " "under the GPL which I developed using nonfree tools?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Which programs you used to edit the source code, or to compile it, or study " "it, or record it, usually makes no difference for issues concerning the " "licensing of that source code." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, if you link nonfree libraries with the source code, that would be " "an issue you need to deal with. It does not preclude releasing the source " "code under the GPL, but if the libraries don't fit under the “system " "library” exception, you should affix an explicit notice giving " "permission to link your program with them. The FSF can give you advice on " "doing this." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLTranslations\" id=\"GPLTranslations\">Are there " "translations of the GPL into other languages?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "It would be useful to have translations of the GPL into languages other than " "English. People have even written translations and sent them to us. But we " "have not dared to approve them as officially valid. That carries a risk so " "great we do not dare accept it." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "A legal document is in some ways like a program. Translating it is like " "translating a program from one language and operating system to another. " "Only a lawyer skilled in both languages can do it—and even then, there " "is a risk of introducing a bug." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If we were to approve, officially, a translation of the GPL, we would be " "giving everyone permission to do whatever the translation says they can do. " "If it is a completely accurate translation, that is fine. But if there is " "an error in the translation, the results could be a disaster which we could " "not fix." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If a program has a bug, we can release a new version, and eventually the old " "version will more or less disappear. But once we have given everyone " "permission to act according to a particular translation, we have no way of " "taking back that permission if we find, later on, that it had a bug." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Helpful people sometimes offer to do the work of translation for us. If the " "problem were a matter of finding someone to do the work, this would solve " "it. But the actual problem is the risk of error, and offering to do the " "work does not avoid the risk. We could not possibly authorize a translation " "written by a non-lawyer." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Therefore, for the time being, we are not approving translations of the GPL " "as globally valid and binding. Instead, we are doing two things:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "" "Referring people to unofficial translations. This means that we permit " "people to write translations of the GPL, but we don't approve them as " "legally valid and binding." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "An unapproved translation has no legal force, and it should say so " "explicitly. It should be marked as follows:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><blockquote><p> msgid "" "This translation of the GPL is informal, and not officially approved by the " "Free Software Foundation as valid. To be completely sure of what is " "permitted, refer to the original GPL (in English)." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "But the unapproved translation can serve as a hint for how to understand the " "English GPL. For many users, that is sufficient." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "However, businesses using GNU software in commercial activity, and people " "doing public ftp distribution, should need to check the real English GPL to " "make sure of what it permits." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li> msgid "Publishing translations valid for a single country only." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "We are considering the idea of publishing translations which are officially " "valid only for one country. This way, if there is a mistake, it will be " "limited to that country, and the damage will not be too great." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ul><li><p> msgid "" "It will still take considerable expertise and effort from a sympathetic and " "capable lawyer to make a translation, so we cannot promise any such " "translations soon." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCInterpreterIncompat\" id=\"InterpreterIncompat\">If a " "programming language interpreter has a license that is incompatible with the " "GPL, can I run GPL-covered programs on it?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "When the interpreter just interprets a language, the answer is yes. The " "interpreted program, to the interpreter, is just data; the GPL doesn't " "restrict what tools you process the program with." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "However, when the interpreter is extended to provide “bindings” " "to other facilities (often, but not necessarily, libraries), the interpreted " "program is effectively linked to the facilities it uses through these " "bindings. The JNI or Java Native Interface is an example of such a " "facility; libraries that are accessed in this way are linked dynamically " "with the Java programs that call them." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "So if these facilities are released under a GPL-incompatible license, the " "situation is like linking in any other way with a GPL-incompatible library. " "Which implies that:" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ol><li> msgid "" "If you are writing code and releasing it under the GPL, you can state an " "explicit exception giving permission to link it with those GPL-incompatible " "facilities." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ol><li> msgid "" "If you wrote and released the program under the GPL, and you designed it " "specifically to work with those facilities, people can take that as an " "implicit exception permitting them to link it with those facilities. But if " "that is what you intend, it is better to say so explicitly." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><ol><li> msgid "" "You can't take someone else's GPL-covered code and use it that way, or add " "such exceptions to it. Only the copyright holders of that code can add the " "exception." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCWhoHasThePower\" id=\"WhoHasThePower\">Who has the power to " "enforce the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Since the GPL is a copyright license, the copyright holders of the software " "are the ones who have the power to enforce the GPL. If you see a violation " "of the GPL, you should inform the developers of the GPL-covered software " "involved. They either are the copyright holders, or are connected with the " "copyright holders. <a href=\"#ReportingViolation\">Learn more about " "reporting GPL violations.</a>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCOOPLang\" id=\"OOPLang\"> In an object-oriented language " "such as Java, if I use a class that is GPL'ed without modifying, and " "subclass it, in what way does the GPL affect the larger program?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "Subclassing is creating a derivative work. Therefore, the terms of the GPL " "affect the whole program where you create a subclass of a GPL'ed class." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCPortProgramToGPL\" id=\"PortProgramToGPL\">If I port my " "program to GNU/Linux, does that mean I have to release it as Free Software " "under the GPL or some other Free Software license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "In general, the answer is no—this is not a legal requirement. In " "specific, the answer depends on which libraries you want to use and what " "their licenses are. Most system libraries either use the <a " "href=\"/licenses/lgpl.html\">GNU Lesser GPL</a>, or use the GNU GPL plus an " "exception permitting linking the library with anything. These libraries can " "be used in nonfree programs; but in the case of the Lesser GPL, it does have " "some requirements you must follow." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some libraries are released under the GNU GPL alone; you must use a " "GPL-compatible license to use those libraries. But these are normally the " "more specialized libraries, and you would not have had anything much like " "them on another platform, so you probably won't find yourself wanting to use " "these libraries for simple porting." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Of course, your software is not a contribution to our community if it is not " "free, and people who value their freedom will refuse to use it. Only people " "willing to give up their freedom will use your software, which means that it " "will effectively function as an inducement for people to lose their freedom." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you hope some day to look back on your career and feel that it has " "contributed to the growth of a good and free society, you need to make your " "software free." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCCompanyGPLCostsMoney\" id=\"CompanyGPLCostsMoney\"> I just " "found out that a company has a copy of a GPL'ed program, and it costs money " "to get it. Aren't they violating the GPL by not making it available on the " "Internet?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. The GPL does not require anyone to use the Internet for distribution. " "It also does not require anyone in particular to redistribute the program. " "And (outside of one special case), even if someone does decide to " "redistribute the program sometimes, the GPL doesn't say he has to distribute " "a copy to you in particular, or any other person in particular." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "What the GPL requires is that he must have the freedom to distribute a copy " "to you <em>if he wishes to</em>. Once the copyright holder does distribute " "a copy program to someone, that someone can then redistribute the program to " "you, or to anyone else, as he sees fit." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCReleaseNotOriginal\" id=\"ReleaseNotOriginal\"> Can I " "release a program with a license which says that you can distribute modified " "versions of it under the GPL but you can't distribute the original itself " "under the GPL?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd> msgid "" "No. Such a license would be self-contradictory. Let's look at its " "implications for me as a user." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Suppose I start with the original version (call it version A), add some code " "(let's imagine it is 1000 lines), and release that modified version (call it " "B) under the GPL. The GPL says anyone can change version B again and " "release the result under the GPL. So I (or someone else) can delete those " "1000 lines, producing version C which has the same code as version A but is " "under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If you try to block that path, by saying explicitly in the license that I'm " "not allowed to reproduce something identical to version A under the GPL by " "deleting those lines from version B, in effect the license now says that I " "can't fully use version B in all the ways that the GPL permits. In other " "words, the license does not in fact allow a user to release a modified " "version such as B under the GPL." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCDistributeSubsidiary\" id=\"DistributeSubsidiary\"> Does " "moving a copy to a majority-owned, and controlled, subsidiary constitute " "distribution?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Whether moving a copy to or from this subsidiary constitutes 'distribution' " "is a matter to be decided in each case under the copyright law of the " "appropriate jurisdiction. The GPL does not and cannot override local laws. " "US copyright law is not entirely clear on the point, but appears not to " "consider this distribution." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "If, in some country, this is considered distribution, and the subsidiary " "must receive the right to redistribute the program, that will not make a " "practical difference. The subsidiary is controlled by the parent company; " "rights or no rights, it won't redistribute the program unless the parent " "company decides to do so." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCClickThrough\" id=\"ClickThrough\"> Can software installers " "ask people to click to agree to the GPL? If I get some software under the " "GPL, do I have to agree to anything?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Some software packaging systems have a place which requires you to click " "through or otherwise indicate assent to the terms of the GPL. This is " "neither required nor forbidden. With or without a click through, the GPL's " "rules remain the same." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "Merely agreeing to the GPL doesn't place any obligations on you. You are " "not required to agree to anything to merely use software which is licensed " "under the GPL. You only have obligations if you modify or distribute the " "software. If it really bothers you to click through the GPL, nothing stops " "you from hacking the GPLed software to bypass this." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dt> msgid "" "<b><a href=\"#TOCGPLCompatInstaller\" id=\"GPLCompatInstaller\">I would like " "to bundle GPLed software with some sort of installation software. Does that " "installer need to have a GPL-compatible license?</a></b>" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <dl><dd><p> msgid "" "No. The installer and the files it installs are separate works. As a " "result, the terms of the GPL do not apply to the installation software." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't have notes. #. type: Content of: <div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S NOTES*" msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please send general FSF & GNU inquiries to <a " "href=\"mailto:gnu@gnu.org\"><gnu@gnu.org></a>. There are also <a " "href=\"/contact/\">other ways to contact</a> the FSF. Broken links and " "other corrections or suggestions can be sent to <a " "href=\"mailto:webmasters@gnu.org\"><webmasters@gnu.org></a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Ignore the original text in this paragraph, #. replace it with the translation of these two: # #. We work hard and do our best to provide accurate, good quality #. translations. However, we are not exempt from imperfection. #. Please send your comments and general suggestions in this regard #. to <a href="mailto:web-translators@gnu.org"> # #. <web-translators@gnu.org></a>.</p> # #. <p>For information on coordinating and contributing translations of #. our web pages, see <a #. href="/server/standards/README.translations.html">Translations #. README</a>. #. type: Content of: <div><div><p> msgid "" "Please see the <a " "href=\"/server/standards/README.translations.html\">Translations README</a> " "for information on coordinating and contributing translations of this " "article." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "Copyright © 2001-2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 Free " "Software Foundation, Inc." msgstr "" #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "" "This page is licensed under a <a rel=\"license\" " "href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/\">Creative Commons " "Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>." msgstr "" #. TRANSLATORS: Use space (SPC) as msgstr if you don't want credits. #. type: Content of: <div><div> msgid "*GNUN-SLOT: TRANSLATOR'S CREDITS*" msgstr "" #. timestamp start #. type: Content of: <div><p> msgid "Updated:" msgstr ""