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Doesn’t GPL mean that it can’t be forked and published into the Apple iOS app store? Presumably they are able to do it because they own the rights and can gran
by sneak 2y ago
Doesn’t GPL mean that it can’t be forked and published into the Apple iOS app store?
Presumably they are able to do it because they own the rights and can grant a non-GPL license to Apple for distribution.
This seems to me to still be a “nobody can fork this [and still have a viable iOS app] but us”.
- cxr 2y agoThe last time anyone did a serious published review of the App Store terms for GPL compatibility was probably 10+ years ago. I remember pre-COVID trying to validate the popular claim that the App Store terms were incompatible with GPLv3 but being unable to do so. None of the provisions that were originally called out by the FSF were in the App Store terms anymore at that point. Certainly nothing I found in the terms at the time indicated any incompatibility.
- FateOfNations 2y agoWhenever I've heard about someone having problems publishing a fork on the App Store, it was a trademark rather than a copyright issue. If you fork it, you must completely re-brand it to publish it on the App Store.
- throwaway290 2y agoDon't forget disclosing the source to users!
- master-lincoln 2y agoEverybody can fork this and build an iOS app. You just can't distribute through the app store as far as I understand. Would be good now if there were other means to install an app on iOS for non-devs, but users chose to ignore that issue when they joined the walled garden that is Apple Inc Maybe the European Union comes to the rescue... (for Europeans)