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> can repackage and sell GPL code Can you give me some detail about how/when this happens? I was under the impression that you can sell support(or other ancill

> can repackage and sell GPL code Can you give me some detail about how/when this happens? I was under the impression that you can sell support(or other ancillary services) for GPL'd code, but not for the code itself.

nuclear_eclipse 7y ago
Anyone can sell software built from GPL code, but if/when they do so, they are obligated to provide source code for that software to anyone receiving a copy, and those users are permitted to redistribute both the software and the source code as long as they also adhere to the GPL.
- module0000 7y ago
  Now I understand, it's not the code itself that has a price(hence the 'THIS IS FREE SOFTWARE' notice at the top of GPL). It's the entire "product" they charge for. Thanks for the reply!
  - ghaff 7y ago
    Not quite. FREE SOFTWARE in that context is "free as in freedom" not "free as in beer." I can most certainly sell you for money software licensed under the GPL (if I make the corresponding sources available) with no other obligations on my part. Of course, today you're probably not going to have a lot of luck selling something that your potential customer can just download from elsewhere for free. So, in practice, you're going to have to provide other services/benefits that go into a commercial product. But there's nothing in the GPL that prohibits you from just selling a bunch of bits subject to the requirements of the license and calling it a day.
  - mattl 7y ago
    That line has nothing to do with price. The FSF started out selling copies of tapes with Emacs on them, and then later whole CD collections of free software, including a mixture of GPL and non-GPL code. They even had a service for a number of years where for $5000 they would compile up a whole ton of software for whatever platform you were using, and send it to your business with t-shirts and manuals for the software.
davidgerard 7y ago
WordPress themes and plugins. They're all WordPress derivatives, therefore the code has to be GPL. Theoretically you can give away a copy of the code. In practice, people don't. (Usually includd assets, i.e. images, are kept proprietary, and the thing is sold as an aggregation.) The thing they're really selling is security updates and maintenance.
the_af 7y ago
No, that interpretation is wrong. GPL'd code can be sold no problem. Yes, even the source code. No, it doesn't make much sense in an age when anyone can download it for free, but nobody is stopping you either. In the past, when the internet was slower and fewer people had access to it, it made more sense to sell CDs of GPL'd code.
icebraining 7y ago
"Actually, we encourage people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they wish or can. If a license does not permit users to make copies and sell them, it is a nonfree license." https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.en.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.en.html

nuclear_eclipse 7y ago

Anyone can sell software built from GPL code, but if/when they do so, they are obligated to provide source code for that software to anyone receiving a copy, and those users are permitted to redistribute both the software and the source code as long as they also adhere to the GPL.

module0000 7y ago
Now I understand, it's not the code itself that has a price(hence the 'THIS IS FREE SOFTWARE' notice at the top of GPL). It's the entire "product" they charge for. Thanks for the reply!
- ghaff 7y ago
  Not quite. FREE SOFTWARE in that context is "free as in freedom" not "free as in beer." I can most certainly sell you for money software licensed under the GPL (if I make the corresponding sources available) with no other obligations on my part. Of course, today you're probably not going to have a lot of luck selling something that your potential customer can just download from elsewhere for free. So, in practice, you're going to have to provide other services/benefits that go into a commercial product. But there's nothing in the GPL that prohibits you from just selling a bunch of bits subject to the requirements of the license and calling it a day.
- mattl 7y ago
  That line has nothing to do with price. The FSF started out selling copies of tapes with Emacs on them, and then later whole CD collections of free software, including a mixture of GPL and non-GPL code. They even had a service for a number of years where for $5000 they would compile up a whole ton of software for whatever platform you were using, and send it to your business with t-shirts and manuals for the software.

davidgerard 7y ago

WordPress themes and plugins. They're all WordPress derivatives, therefore the code has to be GPL. Theoretically you can give away a copy of the code. In practice, people don't. (Usually includd assets, i.e. images, are kept proprietary, and the thing is sold as an aggregation.) The thing they're really selling is security updates and maintenance.

the_af 7y ago

No, that interpretation is wrong. GPL'd code can be sold no problem. Yes, even the source code. No, it doesn't make much sense in an age when anyone can download it for free, but nobody is stopping you either. In the past, when the internet was slower and fewer people had access to it, it made more sense to sell CDs of GPL'd code.

icebraining 7y ago

"Actually, we encourage people who redistribute free software to charge as much as they wish or can. If a license does not permit users to make copies and sell them, it is a nonfree license." https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.en.html https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/selling.en.html