4 ms·

Do they? Is Lego not compliant until someone asks for the source code and they refuse?

jeroenhd 4y ago
They also have to provide the GPL license file with their software, which most GPL violators choose not to do. I can't check the software at the moment but if they provide the license file(s) and offer a way to get the source then there's nothing wrong, really.
- codethief 4y ago
  > I can't check the software at the moment but if they provide the license file(s) and offer a way to get the source then there's nothing wrong, really. Notably, it would either need to be a written offer according to GPL2[0], > b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, …and GPL3[1], > b) Convey the object code in, or embodied in, a physical product (including a physical distribution medium), accompanied by a written offer, valid for at least three years and valid for as long as you offer spare parts or customer support for that product model, to give anyone who possesses the object code either (1) a copy of the Corresponding Source for all the software in the product that is covered by this License, on a durable physical medium customarily used for software interchange, for a price no more than your reasonable cost of physically performing this conveying of source, or (2) access to copy the Corresponding Source from a network server at no charge. …or, if the distribution medium is not physical, the source code would have to be provided in the same way as the original object code / binary: > d) Convey the object code by offering access from a designated place (gratis or for a charge), and offer equivalent access to the Corresponding Source in the same way through the same place at no further charge. You need not require recipients to copy the Corresponding Source along with the object code. If the place to copy the object code is a network server, the Corresponding Source may be on a different server (operated by you or a third party) that supports equivalent copying facilities, provided you maintain clear directions next to the object code saying where to find the Corresponding Source. Regardless of what server hosts the Corresponding Source, you remain obligated to ensure that it is available for as long as needed to satisfy these requirements. So, for instance, one would expect a "download source" link on https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/download.page https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/download.page but I don't see one. [0]: https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt [1]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html
LamaOfRuin 4y ago
They could be in violation on any distribution if they do not include the required notices of relevant licenses and the end-user's rights.
- PurpleRamen 4y ago
  On the BrickLink Studio-Site they mention the License for ffmpeg and have a download-link for it. So I assume they are generally cool with these things.
  - toyg 4y ago
    Or, the ffmpeg folks detected and got in touch, so it was corrected. Blender folks might have to do the same.
justinclift 4y ago
Just downloaded their provided installers for both mac and win, then emailed their customer support ('customersupport@bricklink.com') to enquire about it's license, open source status, and if there's somewhere to download the source code. Received the automated "we got your message, we'll get to you when we can" style message. Lets see what they say. :)
- justinclift 4y ago
  Initial response received today: Good Afternoon Justin, Thanks for reaching out to BrickLink, I would be happy to take a look into this for you! I, myself, do not have the knowledge base to answer this. This has been reported to my team and I will reach back out once I am presented with an answer for you. Thank you for your patience. Sincerely, Toby BrickLink Customer Support So, more waiting...
belorn 4y ago
No, the license has multiple requirements before that, including giving users a copy of the license and a written offer for source code. Lego is only compliant if they follow the conditions of the license. The first condition include this: "... and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.". Do Lego do this? What I can find is this page which does not include a copy of the GPL or a link to it: https://studiohelp.bricklink.com/hc/en-us/articles/6606313426711-Studio-Software-License-Agreement https://studiohelp.bricklink.com/hc/en-us/articles/660631342...
- phkahler 4y ago
  That is an interesting point. How many GPL licensed projects don't follow this themselves? It might be different for the originator to not include the license and just state it on their website, but any fork or redistributor would need to provide a copy of the license to be in compliance. IMHO the best way to ensure compliance is to include full source and the license file with every download. IMHO2 this might be why Apple doesn't want GPL in their app store. One could claim Apple is redistributing it and not in full compliance depending how the developer handles these things.
- i_am_jl 4y ago
  >Do Lego do this? Yep. It's in the install directory under /Licenses/Licenses.docx, Appendix B, provided with the Program as required.
  - belorn 4y ago
    Could you expand on that comment. Do they include attribution to the authors (as they have in blenders license) and all notices that refer to the license? In general, in order to be in compliance they also need to: You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License. And either accompany source code along with executable, or a written offer for source code. Including a copy of the GPL is a nice first step. Do they follow the remaining conditions?
Karellen 4y ago
Blender is licensed under GPL 2-or-later https://www.blender.org/about/license/ https://www.blender.org/about/license/ https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt According to that license: 1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program. [...] 3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following: a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.) If the GPL license notices are not kept intact, if a copy of the GPL is not provided with the software, and if the source code - or an offer of the source code - is not provided with the software, then they are not currently compliant with the terms of the GPL.

They also have to provide the GPL license file with their software, which most GPL violators choose not to do. I can't check the software at the moment but if they provide the license file(s) and offer a way to get the source then there's nothing wrong, really.

codethief 4y ago
> I can't check the software at the moment but if they provide the license file(s) and offer a way to get the source then there's nothing wrong, really. Notably, it would either need to be a written offer according to GPL2[0], > b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, …and GPL3[1], > b) Convey the object code in, or embodied in, a physical product (including a physical distribution medium), accompanied by a written offer, valid for at least three years and valid for as long as you offer spare parts or customer support for that product model, to give anyone who possesses the object code either (1) a copy of the Corresponding Source for all the software in the product that is covered by this License, on a durable physical medium customarily used for software interchange, for a price no more than your reasonable cost of physically performing this conveying of source, or (2) access to copy the Corresponding Source from a network server at no charge. …or, if the distribution medium is not physical, the source code would have to be provided in the same way as the original object code / binary: > d) Convey the object code by offering access from a designated place (gratis or for a charge), and offer equivalent access to the Corresponding Source in the same way through the same place at no further charge. You need not require recipients to copy the Corresponding Source along with the object code. If the place to copy the object code is a network server, the Corresponding Source may be on a different server (operated by you or a third party) that supports equivalent copying facilities, provided you maintain clear directions next to the object code saying where to find the Corresponding Source. Regardless of what server hosts the Corresponding Source, you remain obligated to ensure that it is available for as long as needed to satisfy these requirements. So, for instance, one would expect a "download source" link on https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/download.page https://www.bricklink.com/v3/studio/download.page but I don't see one. [0]: https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt [1]: https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.html

LamaOfRuin 4y ago

They could be in violation on any distribution if they do not include the required notices of relevant licenses and the end-user's rights.

PurpleRamen 4y ago
On the BrickLink Studio-Site they mention the License for ffmpeg and have a download-link for it. So I assume they are generally cool with these things.
- toyg 4y ago
  Or, the ffmpeg folks detected and got in touch, so it was corrected. Blender folks might have to do the same.

justinclift 4y ago

Just downloaded their provided installers for both mac and win, then emailed their customer support ('customersupport@bricklink.com') to enquire about it's license, open source status, and if there's somewhere to download the source code. Received the automated "we got your message, we'll get to you when we can" style message. Lets see what they say. :)

justinclift 4y ago
Initial response received today: Good Afternoon Justin, Thanks for reaching out to BrickLink, I would be happy to take a look into this for you! I, myself, do not have the knowledge base to answer this. This has been reported to my team and I will reach back out once I am presented with an answer for you. Thank you for your patience. Sincerely, Toby BrickLink Customer Support So, more waiting...

belorn 4y ago

No, the license has multiple requirements before that, including giving users a copy of the license and a written offer for source code. Lego is only compliant if they follow the conditions of the license. The first condition include this: "... and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program.". Do Lego do this? What I can find is this page which does not include a copy of the GPL or a link to it: https://studiohelp.bricklink.com/hc/en-us/articles/6606313426711-Studio-Software-License-Agreement https://studiohelp.bricklink.com/hc/en-us/articles/660631342...

phkahler 4y ago
That is an interesting point. How many GPL licensed projects don't follow this themselves? It might be different for the originator to not include the license and just state it on their website, but any fork or redistributor would need to provide a copy of the license to be in compliance. IMHO the best way to ensure compliance is to include full source and the license file with every download. IMHO2 this might be why Apple doesn't want GPL in their app store. One could claim Apple is redistributing it and not in full compliance depending how the developer handles these things.
i_am_jl 4y ago
>Do Lego do this? Yep. It's in the install directory under /Licenses/Licenses.docx, Appendix B, provided with the Program as required.
- belorn 4y ago
  Could you expand on that comment. Do they include attribution to the authors (as they have in blenders license) and all notices that refer to the license? In general, in order to be in compliance they also need to: You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License. And either accompany source code along with executable, or a written offer for source code. Including a copy of the GPL is a nice first step. Do they follow the remaining conditions?

Karellen 4y ago

Blender is licensed under GPL 2-or-later https://www.blender.org/about/license/ https://www.blender.org/about/license/ https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt https://download.blender.org/release/GPL-license.txt According to that license: 1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program. [...] 3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section 2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above provided that you also do one of the following: a) Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, b) Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections 1 and 2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, c) Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection b above.) If the GPL license notices are not kept intact, if a copy of the GPL is not provided with the software, and if the source code - or an offer of the source code - is not provided with the software, then they are not currently compliant with the terms of the GPL.